Casblancas and Mars: A Friendship For the Movies
by LoVe JH writer15
Summary: By the title you might think it's D/V but it is definitely LoVe! I saw a moment in 3x16 Un-American Graffiti for a story. Dick and Veronica start a beautiful, strange, healing friendship. And it just might help Logan and Veronica too.
1. Chapter 1

**I know I shouldn't be doing this because I currently have 2 multi chapter stories going but I was watching some Season 3 stuff and after Un-American Graffiti I saw this moment and jumped at the chance to include my two favorite VM things: Logan/Veronica and an OOC Dick Casablancas. Besides, I won't make this one so long. Maybe 5 parts? Not sure yet.**

Part One

Veronica knew she shouldn't be in the lobby of the Neptune Grande on her way to the birthday party her ex-boyfriend had planned for his new girlfriend. That was the epitome of awkward, wasn't it? But, Veronica was known for being proud and never backing down from a challenge. It was what got her through high school. And the current challenge was Attend Said Party Without Crying or Being Bitchy to All Nearby. It was quite the challenge.  
Veronica knew deep inside she had buried all her feelings for Logan, which meant they were all still there, waiting to be shined and brought back out. She tried her hardest to forget the past, to forget Logan's beautiful hazel eyes and the way he knew exactly where to touch her and make her enjoy sex more than anything in the world. He had been both familiar and unexpected since they met on the soccer field of her junior leagues game. He was what remained for her from the Fab Four and from the days of sitting near the pool with the two Kanes that made up their inner circle of trust. Logan was Logan and she could try to forget him, but it would be a moot point. You don't forget the ones you love.  
_Way to go, Veronica. You admit you love him after you've already lost him. Alert the media!  
_The elevator finally opened and she stepped in, taking deep breaths at the thought of entering the party alone, with Mac there from helping the happy couple set up the party earlier and Wallace and Piz suddenly AWOL.  
"Hold the door!"  
_I get that you hate me, God, but adding Dick Casablancas into the mix is just cruel.  
_"Always the lady" Dick said after almost missing the elevator since Veronica made no move to stop the doors. "You came, good for you. Thought something like this would be unbelievably awkward."  
Veronica glared but let the comment slide.  
"Your fly's open."  
"I know. Party ritual."  
"You're disgusting."  
Dick shrugged and pulled out a black flask, proceeding to take a gulp. Veronica looked over and held out her small hand.  
"Veronica Mars! What's that line about the beginning of some friendship?" he gave her the flask and she took a large drink, downing half the flask in one.  
"Louie, I think this could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship."  
"Aw, yeah. I love _Casablanca_  
"_You've _seen that movie?" Veronica didn't bother to hide her incredulity at his seeing a classic movie."  
"It's a film that's almost exactly my last name. I grew curious. It wasn't as boring as I expected even if it was in black and white."  
"Got anything stronger?" she gave him the flask back.  
"If you can handle it."  
"I can handle anything."  
"Alright, Ronnie, I'll make you my signature drink."  
"Which is?"  
"Vodka mixed with gin and a sprinkle of tequila."  
"I want a nice buzz not a trip along the porcelain highway."  
"You won't be throwing this up. It's magical and the best way to enjoy any event."  
Veronica considered the offer. She was there out of obligation, half to show Parker she didn't have any resentment, half to prove to Logan she could live without him. Why couldn't she have some fun along the way, even if it was with Dick? Mac would be busy helping out Parker and Wallace and Piz had ruined the prospect of being her wingmen already.  
"Fine. I'll try your drink, but if I'm throwing up on people's shoes seconds after I'll murder you, I swear."  
"Don't worry, Ronnie. It's foolproof."  
Veronica didn't bother with the insult that was at the tip of her tongue. When the elevator stopped on Logan's floor and they entered the party, Dick winked and promised to find her with the drink soon.  
"Was that Dick?" Mac had been waiting for her friend near the door and she approached her after Dick walked off.  
"Yeah. Why are you looking at me like that?"  
"Is it some kind of plan to get back at Logan by dating his best friend?"  
"I gotta say your confidence in me is astounding." She said sarcastically.  
"Bottoms up, Ronnie!" Dick came back with the drink and Veronica instantly took a sip.  
"Wow this is strong."  
"But awesome?"  
"But awesome." She admitted and Dick cheered, giving her a high five before walking away to flirt with every available female in the room.  
"What was that then?" Mac crossed her arms.  
"That was Dick giving me his signature drink because I feel the need to get drunk."  
"That's never good, Supafly." Wallace and Piz appeared behind her, each with a date on their arms.  
"Ah, I see why I was abandoned. Battle of the Bulges."  
Piz cleared his throat. Wallace had convinced him to go out with a girl and let go of any chance with Veronica.  
"She broke up with Logan." Piz had complained.  
"And she isn't over him."  
"But, he's dating Parker now."  
"And it doesn't change the fact that Veronica still loves him."  
"Loves?" Piz had repeated and sank into his bed, upset.  
When Wallace volunteered to get them dates to Parker's party Piz had simply nodded. Yet, standing in front of Veronica herself he felt all his feelings for her as fresh as ever.  
"I figured you'd hang with Mac." Wallace said.  
"We will." Mac said, adding enthusiasm to her voice.  
"There you are, Mac. We need to discuss your hate for The Beatles. I can't understand it." Max had come up to Mac, holding two plates of snacks.  
"I think Mac's busy with someone else." Veronica pointed out and Mac blushed.  
"Guys, this is my friend Max."  
"Veronica, good to see you again." Max said, smiling at Veronica.  
He sat on the long, white couch and Veronica saw that Mac wanted to join him.  
"We're just friends." Mac mumbled.  
"You want to be more than that. It's fine, Mac. Go hang with the guy whose name is annoyingly similar to yours. And Wallace, Piz, have fun with your dates." Veronica gave her friends a small smile and walked away, making sure to take a large gulp from her drink.  
_I can't dwell on the fact that my friends all have dates, leaving me alone to face Logan and Parker who are sickeningly sweet and-Dear Lord, can it be? _  
Veronica had walked near the table where the cake had been set up. It was a monster of a cake with beautiful white frosting and edible lace on the sides. And right smack at the top of the cake was **Happy Birthday Parker **and under that a picture of Parker and Logan hugging and smiling at the camera like two fools in love.  
_Is Logan in love with her? No, it's too soon, isn't it? Although, I'm basing that on our relationship which progressed from friends to enemies to secret make-out buddies to frenemies to boyfriend/girlfriend. Not everyone is as complicated in relationships as I was in ours. Not everyone is… epic.  
_"Epic would mean forever. And that's not the case." She said, not realizing she'd spoke out loud.  
"Are you saying the cake is not epic? I severely overpaid then." Logan had come up to her as she was lost in the struggles of their relationship.  
"Oh, no, it's beautiful. Lovely picture…"  
"Parker cried when she saw it. Said it was the best gift ever. And that wasn't even my gift to her." He laughed and Veronica forced herself to laugh as well.  
She stepped away from the sickening sweetness of Logan and his cake of love, but was followed by him to the other side of the room.  
"I expected you to show up with some new guy, you know to prove you weren't pining away."  
"All the periodically good ones were unavailable. And I pine for no man." She said, though inside a little voice screamed LIAR.  
"You should keep your options open, though."  
"Um-  
"Veronica, meet Brad Everson." He led her to a tall guy with a face that reminded Veronica of a stoner.  
Logan gave her a wink and walked off.  
"What are your thoughts on swinging?"  
"In a park?"  
"In a relationship. Two on two, three on one, orgy."  
Veronica felt like killing herself there and then.  
"I-I'm already in a relationship. So sorry, Brad."  
He laughed, not believing her.  
"You don't need to play hard to get, babe. I'm already hooked on you." He tried to step closer and she resisted the urge to throw her drink at him,  
"He's here, actually. Excuse me for a sec." she turned to survey the room, looking for a savior.  
She would have asked Wallace to help her out, but the girl he was with had seemed nice and they were engaged in conversation. Wallace hadn't been with any girl since Jackie told him the truth about her life and left for New York. She couldn't ruin his first date. The same went for Piz. He was a nice guy and would do her the favor if she asked, but he seemed to be having fun with the girl. They were dancing happily enough. And that left one last option. The only other person who knew her enough to pretend.  
_I have reached rock bottom_ she said as she eyed her target. She finished the drink and winced at the strong taste of alcohol before walking straight for Dick and making her voice as perky as possible.  
"There you are, sweetie!" then she whispered so only Dick could hear "This is a break glass in case of emergency situation. Pretend to be my boyfriend or I'll tell the whole campus about your make-out with the cross-dressing man senior year."  
"How did you know about-aw shit." He whispered then louder he said "Honeybunches! Thank God, you found me I was worried sick that you got lost. You're so midgetlike even a small crowd could mean disaster."  
Veronica glared at him, but wrapped an arm around his waist so that Brad saw she was with her "boyfriend". Brad frowned, unhappy at losing a prospective girlfriend for his nymphomaniac tendencies, and walked away.  
"Man, I treat you to my signature drink and stand in as your fake boyfriend. I'm on roll tonight. Ronnie, you so owe me for not getting any sex tonight since you scared off the girls I was about to have a threesome with. In return, you and I will go into my bedroom and get it on."  
"You sicken me."  
"And I love you too, cutie pie!" he cooed and hugged her, pressing her face into his chest so she couldn't complain.  
-

Logan thought his plan was perfect. He found the creepiest weirdo he could at the party and pushed him to Veronica, who he knew would be dateless because he'd overheard Parker and Mac's earlier conversation about dates and who was coming. Brad had been the perfect creep. He was expecting a drink to be thrown at him or a taser to be brought out and unleashed on him. Instead, Veronica ran to Dick and announced loudly that he was her "sweetie". Logan knew she'd found a fake boyfriend to get rid of Brad, but he couldn't stop the jealousy that rippled through him at the sight of Veronica in another man's arms.  
"Are you okay?" Parker had come up behind him.  
"Oh, yeah. Totally."  
"I was going to cut the cake and-  
"Great idea! I'll make a toast."  
"A toast?"  
Logan picked up a glass and fork and tapped them together.  
"Can I have everyone's attention? I'd like to make a little speech about the fabulous girl we're all celebrating tonight. Parker." He held out an arm and she gave a shy smile at all the attention and stepped into his side embrace. "Parker is one of the most beautiful people I know, inside and out. She is turning 19 today and I'm happy to be here celebrating her birth because if she hadn't been born I wouldn't have such an amazing person in my life now. I've never felt happier than how I feel with her."  
"Aw" most of the partygoers cooed.  
"Happy birthday, baby." He said and dipped Parker back to kiss her passionately.  
The room burst into applause as everyone cheered for the couple so clearly in love. Everyone but a little blonde who pushed through the back of the room and slipped out the open door, running towards the elevator.  
When Logan righted Parker and smiled at the room, he was looking for one face in particular. He was disappointed when he couldn't find it. He saw Dick running from the room and he assumed he was chasing the latest piece of meat for him. When Parker cried more joyous tears and pulled him in for a hug, all he could think of was another blonde. A petite one who was annoying and stubborn and absolutely amazing. He pasted a smile on his face because he didn't want to ruin Parker's night. He didn't want her to see the guilt he felt for such a big lie.  
Logan had lied when he said he'd never felt happier than with her. There had been a time when someone else had made him happier. Someone who had run from the room in tears, even if Logan didn't know that.

"Ronnie, wait up!" Dick wasn't sure why he'd followed the girl.  
He knew she was crying because he heard her little sob of pain as she escaped the room. He had been the only one to notice it over the cheering at Logan's lovey dovey crapstorm. Dick knew Logan wasn't in love with the Parker chick and the overdramatizing was annoying.  
"Go back to the party, Dick. Support your best friend." She wiped the tears from her eyes and stepped into the elevator the second it opened, offering a chance at freedom from her pain.  
"Nope." He stepped in with her and pressed the button for the lobby.  
"Why do you care?" she asked, trying in vain to stop fresh tears.  
"How can we keep up the beautiful friendship I don't care when you cry?" he asked, feeling awkward with the moment.  
"Beautiful friendship, huh? Ok, Casablancas."  
"Really?"  
"I can't say this isn't extremely weird…. But I wouldn't mind some food. I didn't touch anything but alcohol in there."  
"Me neither… Luigi's?"  
"It's my favorite eatery in Neptune." She said, surprised. "Did Logan tell you that?"  
"No. I remember. You used to go crazy when Duncan or Lilly would order it for the table."  
"That was a long time ago." She said quietly.  
Dick wasn't one for memories or nostalgia. A trivial fact like her favorite takeout food was something he would forget in seconds. So, why hadn't he?  
"I have a good memory, surprisingly."  
"You've surprised me a lot today."  
"In a good way?"  
"Yeah." She answered with a small smile that he returned.

A part of her was still aching from Logan's words about being happiest with Parker and her friends were still in that suite, cheering on the gorgeous couple, but she wasn't alone. She wasn't on her way to cry into her pillow, hug Back-up, and drown her sorrows in gallons of fattening ice cream.  
She had someone who cared… she had Dick Casablancas. God certainly had a sense of humor when it came to Veronica's life.


	2. Chapter 2

**Note: This takes place about a month after Parker's party. Also, Dick never slept or did anything with Parker, like was suggested on the show.**

**Warning: Rated M for dark, mature themes as well as excessive cursing.**

Part Two

Logan awoke to a firm knock on the door. He rolled onto his side and checked the clock.  
"4:00 AM? What the hell?" he groaned at the repeat of the knock and got out of his bed, ready to pull open the door and give the person a piece of his mind.  
It was Saturday, for God's sakes. He could usually sleep until 11 before Parker would call him to chirp a good morning and ask to see him because she missed him. Honestly, he'd rather stay in his bed and sleep.  
"Veronica?" he blinked to make sure he wasn't dreaming and his ex-girlfriend wasn't at his suite at the crack of dawn.  
"Oh, Logan… it's you."  
"I do live here."  
"Yeah, I forgot. Sorry." She pushed away a lock of hair that had escaped her loose bun.  
"I haven't seen you since Parker's party. You left before the cake was cut. I thought you loved chocolate."  
"I had to go. Got a call on short notice." She lied, wanting to avoid a recap of that night.  
Sure, she loved chocolate but she was no masochist and seeing Logan with the person who'd made him the happiest he'd ever been was not how she wanted to spend a night.  
"Listen, Veronica. This can't happen."  
"What can't happen?" her brow furrowed in confusion.  
"Us."  
"You and me?"  
"We can't go down this path again."  
"What path? Are you on drugs, Echolls?"  
At this point Logan should have realized Veronica was puzzled with the turn of conversation. He was, however, dense sometimes when it came to Veronica Mars.  
"I'm with Parker and we're happy together. I don't want to get back on your roller coaster."  
Veronica's expression was a mixture of surprise, amusement and frightening anger.  
"You think I'm here to beg for you to take me back? Actually, I broke up with _you_ and moments like this make any regret fade away."  
"It's too early to discuss our relationship, Veronica."  
"Good, that's not why I'm here. Yo!" she called over Logan's shoulder.  
"Yo! I couldn't find my suit. It was under my X-box." Dick had appeared from his room, surfboard and gym bag in hand.  
"Next time I won't wait for you." Veronica grinned.  
"Pssh. You'd drown without me there."  
"I haven't had a near-drown experience in two weeks. Face it, I'm a natural and I already surpassed your level."  
"Take that back!" Dick gasped.  
"Hmm, was it me who fell off my board on the tiny, baby wave last night? No, no that was you!" Veronica retorted.  
"First off the wave was the size of a tsunami and I told you a squirrel distracted me."  
"There are no squirrels in the ocean, dumbass." She snorted.  
"Whoa, wait a minute!" Logan had stood there, stupefied, as his friend bantered with his ex-girlfriend but it was four in the morning and things seemed extremely surreal.  
"We've waited long enough. Seriously, Dick, you should be ready the second I knock."  
"The second? Cool it, princess. I am not your servant waiting at your beck and call. Plus, you don't have to knock because it upsets other inhabitants." He looked pointedly at Logan. "I got you a key card."  
"24 hour access to the Neptune Grande penthouse. Boo-yah!" she gave a fist pump in the air.  
"I gave you a key card before." Logan said without thinking.  
"I burned it." Veronica said, not bothering to look at him.  
"Enough talk. That's for girls. Let's hit the Dickmobile!"  
"We're taking my car." She scoffed. "The _Dickmobile_ is still on time out."  
"Aw Ronnie, I didn't actually run over the old lady!"  
"It was close enough. Whenever we hang out I'm driving. All my stuff's in my car anyway."  
"Hang out? Where are you going?" Logan was growing increasingly frustrated as people who were supposed to be mortal enemies ignored him completely for their own exchange.  
"Dude, I'm holding a surfboard and wearing a wet suit. Use your brain. It's a sad state of affairs when I'm the smart one here" Dick said.  
"Surfing? With _Veronica_? You can't surf." Logan said stupidly.  
"Says who?" she challenged.  
"You never surfed with me."  
"Dick taught me three weeks ago. Turns out I'm a natural."  
"A natural who almost drowned three times."  
"Shut it, Dick. That was the past. I haven't made a single mistake lately. You told me I was good."  
"Nah, you're awesome." He grinned.  
"Thanks." She smiled back and Logan cleared his throat.  
"How did this happen?" he gestured between the two. "Are you two dating?"  
Dick and Veronica burst into laughter and didn't respond.  
"Catch ya later, dude. I'll be back late." Dick gave Logan a clap on the back walked out.  
"I'd invite you, but you wouldn't want to be part of my 'roller coaster'" she grinned and shut the door behind her.  
Logan stood there for a moment and pinched himself.  
"Ow! Fuck, I'm not dreaming."  
-

"Are you okay?" Dick asked when the two blondes took a break at 10:00 to grab a smoothie and bagel from the nearby café.  
"Logan said I was a roller coaster. Said he and Parker were happy and he didn't want me." Veronica sipped her kiwi and banana smoothie as she stared at the wide expanse of blue water before her.  
"He assumed you were there for him."  
"Yeah… it was fun seeing the look on his face when he put the pieces together." Veronica laughed.  
"Well, our friendship is hard to believe."  
"Mac thinks I'm sleeping with you to get back at Logan. Wallace doesn't understand either." Veronica lost her peaceful demeanor at the mention of her friends.  
"Mac's a bitch."  
"No, she isn't. I love her and I miss spending time with her, but there seems to be an invisible line marking two sides of a war between Parker and I."  
"Because of Logan?"  
"Yeah. It's not like I'm trying to steal him from her or anything, but Mac told me Parker is insecure about herself and the way Logan felt for me. She's told him she loved him and he didn't reciprocate it. Parker blames me. Says just by seeing me I'm ruining their relationship."  
"The fuck? I take back my previous statement. _Parker's _a bitch."  
"Won't argue there. She has Logan and now Mac on her "side". It's ridiculous. Logan and I are over for good this time."  
Dick let out a "Ha!" and a piece of his chewed-up bagel flew from his mouth.  
"Ew! Say it don't spray it."  
"Ronnie, Logan is still in love with you."  
"Yeah, right. He considers me a volatile, vomit-inducing amusement park ride."  
"You made him jealous, overprotective, worried, whipped and pure fucking crazy."  
"Gee thanks that really helped."  
"I'm not trying to cheer you up. I'm giving you truth. You challenged Logan and made him chase after you or scream at you. That's what he loved about you. Why do you think that skank, Parker, hates you and is all insecure? Logan can't love her because she's as challenging as opening a bag of Cheetos. She wears an excessive amount of pink and aquamarine. She cried when Logan gave her a cake with their picture on it and the first week they got together she was watching TV with us when she bursts into hysterical sobs out of nowhere. She buries her head in Logan's chest and she's all 'I can't have sex anymore. I won't be good for you!' Blah, blah she whined about her rape."  
"Dick!"  
"Let me get to my point."  
"Is it that you're a misogynistic pig who thinks rape is funny or something?" Veronica crossed her arms angrily.  
"Listen, Ronnie you were hurt that way too and you became the resident badass of Neptune, putting every bastard in his place."  
Her anger dissipated a little and she uncrossed her arms.  
"Including you."  
"Hell yeah I was a huge bastard. You didn't take shit from anyone and you certainly didn't sob and get snot all over the place in the middle of _The Simpsons_"  
"I chose to cry privately in the middle of other programs. It was no picnic getting over what Cassidy did to me."  
"But you did it. _Alone_. At a time where your best friend was gone and most of your close friends and allies had turned on you. And that's why my point is you're a rock star, Ronnie. Parker ain't got nothing on you. She knows it and Logan knows it. I don't know why your friends have forgotten that, but have no fear Dick is here!" he said with a broad grin.  
"I can't believe you made me feel better with that speech."  
"Believe it, babe. Beautiful friendship, remember? We worked hard to get here."  
Veronica nodded in agreement. She hadn't blamed her friends or Logan for their incredulity. She and Dick were supposed to hate each other. Veronica should blame him for her rape and he should blame her for his brother's suicide. It was a good thing neither of them did what they were supposed to do.  
"Remember that night at the diner, two days after Parker's party?" Dick asked.  
"I was thinking of that exact moment." She admitted.

-3 weeks earlier-

"_I want a cheeseburger and a chocolate milkshake." Veronica announced.  
"I don't get how you're not fat."  
She glared.  
"Genetics."  
"Whatever." Dick called over a waitress, who he flirted wholeheartedly with and got a phone number from.  
"I didn't accept dinner with you so you could pick up women right in front of me."  
"Jealous, Ronnie? The boyfriend thing was only for the party. I am never being tied down to a woman. Or in your case being shackled down and installed with a locator chip."  
"Fuck you."  
"Ronnie! Ladies can't say those things in public. Although, it is a stretch to call you a lady."  
"You know what, I hate you and you hate me. We aren't mean to be friends. Let's leave it at that." She stood to leave, but Dick grabbed her hand.  
"Don't leave… I'm sorry, Ronnie. We should go to the beach. I'll order the food to go and we can talk."  
"Talk? Are __**you**__ aware we aren't a real college couple who makes out on the beach at night?"  
"If I wanted to make out with you we'd already be making out. Casablancas Charm here." Dick smirked.  
"The same charm that made Cassidy's only sexual experience a rape or the charm your father used to embezzle his way through millions while dumping his family behind as he ran from federal agents?" she snapped and Dick's smirk fell.  
Veronica regretted the harsh words but she couldn't formulate an apology. Dick stood and walked away and Veronica thought he'd left her there without a ride home. She was about to take out her phone and convince Mac to pick her up when he came back, take out bag in hand, telling her they were going to the beach. She had followed him into his SUV, studying his silent profile. Was he angry, sad, or playing a joke on her? She didn't know.  
When Logan gave her the silent treatment after a particularly nasty fight or insult he'd want her to reach out to him and apologize. He knew she hated uncomfortable silences where she couldn't control any emotion or conversation. Logan only used dead silence when he was truly angry and in those cases she'd choked down her pride and apologized for what she'd said. Yet, now apologizing to Dick wasn't her first thought. In fact, she wanted to yell some more.  
"Come on." Were the words that broke Dick's silence.  
He grabbed the food and got out of his car, heading for a precise spot close enough to hear the waves but remain dry. Veronica didn't think twice before following and when he put the food on the ground and turned to face her she marched right up and slapped him.  
"You put Cassidy in the room with me. You made him rape me to show your power over him. Do you know what I've suffered you fucking asshole? An STD, a near death experience. All because of you and your __**little bro**__" she spat the words out.  
"Finished?" Dick asked calmly and Veronica gaped.  
"No, not even close." She took a breath and continued. "I hate you and every part of your fucking family. Your brother raped me, you made my life hell, your father left thousands of people bankrupt, and your whore of a stepmom slept with the only guy I've truly loved. I felt a sense of justice when I heard about Kendall's death. Cassidy had already taken care of himself. That was 2 out of 4. Your dad was probably living in an African ghetto or worse, which was fair enough. 3 out of 4. But then there was you… All you caused, you bastard, and you were free to drink and sleep your money away. Then, you meddled in my affairs! You were always laughing and talking shit about me to Logan. I kept thinking where's __**his **__punishment? Why is he so exempt from any guilt or pain? I suffered because of your family and you were throwing raves to celebrate all the money you came into. Where's the fucking justice in that?!" she let tears of pent-up frustration and pain spill out.  
"I think I get a turn now." Dick said before his voice became loud and cold. "You're blaming me for every problem in your goddamn life and I get you need __**someone**__ to nail to the wall, but I refuse to be it! I didn't force anyone to rape you. Cassidy was messed up and that was courtesy of our father. I may have been cruel to you in high school, but I'm not the cause of all your suffering! I'm not Cassidy, or my father or Kendall. I'm sorry you've been hurt but you aren't the only victim! You think I got off scot-free? No punishment for the rich bastard, huh?" Dick stepped closer to her, voice dangerously low and suddenly pulled up his sleeves. "Take a peek, detective. What do you spy with your little eye?"  
Veronica stared uncomprehendingly at various cuts, horizontal and vertical, that marred his wrists.  
"Oh my God are those-  
"Signs of self-abuse?" Dick gave a bitter laugh. "You got it! Ten points for you!"  
"Dick, why did you-how did you-  
He cut her off again.  
"A shaving razor was the most effective. As for why… Why not? I was a fucking orphan! My brother jumped off a roof, my father left the country, my stepmother got herself killed and my mother changed her phone number and address to escape any association with me. My only friend wouldn't want to speak to me after what my brother did and I was lost. Drinking wasn't feeling the same. I tried drugs, but the sensation made me nauseous. One night, I got insanely drunk and turned on the TV and there it was. Tinseltown Diaries: Casablancas Edition. These reporters were examining the dysfunctional breakdown of an influential family like mine. I hadn't realized how much those sucked until it happened to me. Logan had gone through one… so I picked up my razor and did a few."  
"Oh Dick…" Veronica was now staring into his red-rimmed eyes as tears cascaded from the tall boy's face.  
"I didn't do too much. Once I cut too deep and passed out from the blood loss. I freaked out. I could have died… I ended up crying at Logan's door. I was messed up and screwed. I was like Cassidy." Dick's face twisted into a muted horror. "That got me. He was once my little brother but not anymore. I couldn't be that warped. I had to survive college years at least. Logan let me move in and things were… better."  
"No they weren't. Does Logan know about…"  
Dick knew she meant his cuts.  
"No."  
"Have you talked to anyone?"  
"Shrinks are for the truly fucked up. I'm not there yet. I won't be there." He vowed.  
"I was forced to see a psychologist after Lilly's death."  
"And?"  
"Shrinks suck." She said simply.  
"This is better."  
"Yelling and crying with Dick Casablancas on a beach at midnight?" she snorted, wiping her last tears away.  
"It's a form of therapy, you know."  
"Thought you hated shrinks."  
"I can't say they aren't kinda smart. I'd rather tell you than a stranger that will judge me and psychoanalyze me. The cutting would get me antidepressants and after seeing Duncan thanks but no fucking thanks."  
Veronica actually laughed out loud.  
"You're saying we were healing?"  
"I feel better."  
"I do too… I've wanted to say those things for a while."  
"Do you want to slap me again?" he rubbed the area that still stung from her small shock of force.  
"I'll consider it." She sat next to the takeout bad and stared at the ocean.  
"Hungry?" he asked, sitting next to her.  
"Honestly, yeah. All that healing took my energy."  
He chuckled.  
"Thank you."  
"Me? For what?"  
"Not giving me shit for the cutting."  
"Did you try to kill yourself?" she asked seriously.  
"No. The cuts just… made me feel justice. I deserved a punishment, like you said."  
"No one deserves pain, Dick. I was angry. I said everything that crossed my mind, but your suffering didn't make mine disappear."  
"Do you forgive me?" he asked, blue eyes trained on her darker orbs of inky blue.  
"For Cassidy?"  
He nodded.  
"No."  
Dick looked away and shut his eyes, not expecting the hurt that hit him from her rejection.  
"Dick, look at me."  
He opened his eyes and she noticed fresh tears moistening his cheek.  
"I forgive you for what you've done, which was pressure Cassidy and act like an ass to me through high school. I don't have to forgive you for Cassidy because you aren't him. You didn't do what he did and you don't deserve to torture yourself over his actions. Do you understand me? You aren't Cassidy and you aren't your father."  
Dick smiled through the tears.  
"Thank you, Veronica."  
"Don't you mean Ronnie?" she teased, lightening the mood.  
"I figured it annoyed you."  
"It did… at first, but you have dibs on the nickname. You're the only one allowed to say it."  
"I came up with it. It's only fair."  
"You remember that?"  
"We used to be best friends or have __**you**__ forgotten?"  
"No. Those were the best years. No pain or evil in the world, just crayons and naptime."  
"I gave you a macaroni friendship bracelet in second grade. And I promised we'd be friends forever and ever."  
"Forever and ever stopped when we were 8 and the Kanes moved here. Puberty hit all of us and we grew apart. When we were 12 the Echolls came into town and you know how that story goes."  
"The Fab Four." He nodded.  
"I used to miss you."  
_"_Why would you? You were dating Duncan Kane, were best friends with his sister and had Logan Echolls as a friend as well."  
"You were my first friend ever, Dick. We played in our playpens together. Apart from my parents faces yours was the one I saw most as a child."  
"It was eight years of Play-Doh sculpting, sand castle making fun."  
"Then things got serious."  
"Yeah" he said as the two went back in time to simple memories of childhood.  
"I want to try again." She said moments later.  
"Yeah?"  
"Yeah."  
And that was that._

"You were right. It was a healing method."  
"I'm always right, Ronnie."  
"Don't inflate your ego. I can barely stand it how it is." She smiled as Dick poked her in the side.  
"Aw, I love you too!"  
She laughed.  
"Ready to get back out there?"  
"We have to wait 30 minutes before getting back into the water."  
"We aren't 6 anymore."  
"Meanie." He stuck out his tongue and stood, holding out a hand to help her get up.  
They went back to the ocean that had seen their worse times, joking about old times and future plans.  
There had been other talks after that night where Dick and Veronica would hash out any issue, resorting to yelling and obscene hand gestures. Yet, the violent talks diminished until only peaceful conversations and discussions remained. Dick listened when she complained about her classes, expressed sadness over the distance between her and her friends and spoke about the emotional tempest that consisted of Logan and Veronica. In turn, Veronica listened when he recounted shameful memories of growing up with Cassidy and his father. He told her about his regrets and mistakes and he always called her when he felt like getting drunk. She wasn't his mother or guardian so she never prohibited a drink, but she would tell him to meet her at a bar so they could look over each other and get a bite to eat too.  
Dick didn't need alcohol to get through his days anymore and Veronica was more trusting with the boy who had been her other half for the first eight years of her life.  
Shrinks were scum of the earth, but some of their techniques were quite useful. At least, Veronica and Dick thought so.  
-

"Then I told the teacher I deserved a 98 not a 97. I mean, who did he think he was, taking a point off for misplacing a comma! It was outrageous, you know? Logan. Logan!" Parker said loudly when it was clear her boyfriend was not listening to her complaints.  
"What? Sorry, Parker. You were talking about the girl who didn't like your shirt?"  
"That was like an hour ago!"  
"Oh."  
"What are you looking at?" Parker turned in her seat and scanned the cafeteria until she saw Veronica and Dick sitting some tables behind her, laughing and throwing popcorn chicken at each other. "At _her?"_  
Logan recognized the lethal tone of jealousy the blonde girl used when referring to Veronica.  
"No! I was thinking that Dick and I haven't done anything in a while. He gets home late and leaves home early."  
"Sweetie, I thought we agree less time with Dick is better. He was a bad influence on you. All those trips to Tijuana were driving me insane." She sniffed, taking a bite of her sandwich.  
_No shit. At least Veronica would wait until I was back to scream at me. You followed us there the last time I made the mistake of going with some of the guys.  
_"Dick is my best friend."  
"And now he's _her_ boyfriend. It would be best to keep your distance. In fact, I had a great idea! Why doesn't he find his own place and I can move in with you! How does that sound, honey? The extra room will be like my own closet, because we both know I'll be sleeping in your bed with you." She gave him what was supposed to be a sexy wink.  
"Kick Dick out? I can't do that. Where would he go?"  
"He's not a baby, Logan. He has his own money. More than enough." She glared.  
Parker was not fond of Dick and Dick knowing this, went out of his way to annoy her whenever she was in his near vicinity. One night Dick got home to find Parker and Logan kissing on the couch, so he went up to them and shook his hair so all the water leftover from his surf with Veronica sprayed the two. Parker had cried out and shrieked about her new shirt. Dick said it was the same pink crap she wore all the time.  
"It's not money that he needs. It's company."  
"Well, he's got more than enough with _her_ around. They're perfect for each other."  
"They aren't dating, Parker."  
"Sure. Veronica moved quick, that's for sure." She scoffed, making Veronica sound like some whore.  
_I moved on first. Even if Veronica and Dick were together I have no right to complain._  
"I'm going to talk to Dick. Invite him to go surfing tomorrow."  
"Surfing? Logan we were going to study tomorrow and then visit that sushi bar we love so much."  
_Sushi bar __**you**__ love so much. The thought of putting raw fish in my mouth makes me want to puke._  
"Wasn't that the place I almost ate some shellfish accidentally?"  
"You have to pay more attention, honey. Really."  
"You ordered for me."  
"So what about our plans?" she went back to her issue.  
"I owe Dick some friend time. I promise we'll study the next night."  
"Fine." She huffed. "Hurry back. My next class is in ten minutes and you're walking me there, right?"  
"Right." He said unenthusiastically.  
He'd become Parker's shadow. She wanted him to be with her _all the time_. He had asked her out to help him forget Veronica and to be in a relationship that was calm and stable. Instead, he got needy and pathologically jealous.  
Logan stood, made sure to give his girlfriend a kiss on the cheek, and walked to Dick and Veronica's table. As he approached he saw them laugh at something and then Veronica stole his bottle of Sunkist and drank it for herself.  
"Dude no way! You ate my fries and now you're stealing my drink? You owe me food!"  
"Oh, really? I seem to recall a certain someone stealing my soft pretzel and shoving it all down your throat earlier. I couldn't get another one because I was running late for class."  
"Ugh. Fine. We're even."  
They shook hands.  
"Uh, Dick." Logan stopped in front of the table. "Hi, Veronica." He said to the little blonde.  
"Logan." She nodded. "Well, I've got places to be and people to see. Call me later." She said to Dick.  
"If I don't you'll receive a smoke signal from me."  
"Gotcha." She blew him a kiss and left the cafeteria.  
"So what did ya need, man?" Dick asked and Logan took Veronica's empty seat.  
"We haven't hung out in weeks, Dick."  
"I've been busy."  
"With Veronica?"  
"Maybe. Didn't think you noticed anyone else but Parker anyway."  
"I have been with her a lot."  
"A lot? You're her beard."  
Logan rolled his eyes.  
"No need for that. Come on, you and me plus bitching waves tomorrow night?"  
"Ooh, I've got plans already."  
"What?"  
"Yeah, Ronnie found this cool beach but it's four hours to the west coast so we're making it a weekend trip. We're heading out tomorrow afternoon and we'll be back Sunday night."  
"Her dad's okay with a road trip just the two of you?"  
"Mr. Mars loves me! Or he tolerates me enough. Ronnie asked him last week. All engines are a go." He grinned.  
Logan realized for Keith Mars to let his daughter out of Neptune with a guy her age for three days, Veronica must have really put up a fight. She used to defend Logan to her father when they were together and they wanted to have a romantic night at his suite or a bed and breakfast he chose. Mr. Mars would refuse, but Veronica's arguments always won out. She was a little tornado when she set her mind to it. If Veronica wanted a trip with Dick that required overnight stays she must have been serious about Dick. The thought made Logan feel strangely sick.  
"Oh and he knows it's only platonic between us. Ronnie's hot and all, but besties are off limits." Dick said, finishing his popcorn chicken.  
"You're just friends? Really? You've spent so much time together."  
"So?"  
"Never mind." Logan didn't want to discuss Veronica with her apparent best friend/confidante.  
Logan might have though Dick's loyalty was strictly devoted to him, but things had changed. It was obvious Dick's priority was Veronica and Logan wasn't on Veronica's good list at the moment.  
"Why don't I join you?"  
"I don't think Ronnie or Mr. Mars would want that." Dick said honestly.  
"Please, man, I need to get out of here for a bit. I have piles of homework and shit, plus I want some time away from…"  
"Parker?" Dick asked, amusement written all over his face."  
"Don't tell her I said that."  
"I would never talk to Parker. Becoming a vapid bitch isn't my goal in life."  
"She isn't vapid." Logan retorted lamely, feeling like he had to defend his girlfriend.  
"Whatever. I'll run it by Ronnie and I'll tell you tomorrow morning before we leave for Economics." Dick threw away his garbage and left the cafeteria.  
Logan prayed Veronica was feeling merciful because a surf trip was all he wanted. Although, three days and almost three nights with Veronica were torture enough. How could he be around her and not get to touch her or kiss her anymore? He ached to press his lips to her sweet ones and take her against a wall again to recreate one of their more passionate lovemaking occasions.  
"Logan!" Parker's voice reached him from the table he'd left her at. "You have to walk me now!"  
He cringed.  
_How am I going to tell Parker about my trip with Dick and Veronica? Shit._


	3. Chapter 3

**The reviews I got for this amazed me I have 21 after only 2 chapters. I'm glad you all love it. I think it will only be 5 parts but it might go to 7, I'm not sure yet. I apologize for the disco music bashing later on.**

Part Three

"No! Absolutely not!" Veronica threw her surfboard into Dick's backseat with all the strength in her body.  
"Ronnie" he sighed.  
"You're asking me to allow Logan to come to our supposed BFF's Only Surfing Trip."  
"Yeah."  
"Logan? My ex-boyfriend? The guy who I resort to describing with corny ass sayings like 'he owns my heart' and 'the one that got away'? Do you hate me, Dick Alexander Casablancas?"  
"No I do not, Veronica Marie Mars."  
"Then?"  
"Look, the guy wanted to hang out and he's my friend too. I have been ignoring him. We live together, but I haven't seen him in weeks. I owe him some time too. You know how much I depended on Logan when he first let me move in. Although, as you are my #1 best friend I won't make you do anything you're uncomfortable with. I only want what's best for you and if you're unhappy I would hate myself. I'll tell Logan no and he can be unhappy by himself as we surf our way to nirvana. It's not like Logan needs some R and R he's had such a great, beautiful life with a loving family and caring parents."  
Veronica groaned.  
"Why do you make me feel guilty?"  
"Who me?" Dick asked, innocently.  
"I just don't want to hear about how happy he is with Parker." Veronica stared down at her hands.  
_He is so not happy with that skank,_ Dick thought.  
"I promise if he mentions the P-word I will randomly change topics. You will not suffer a second of the P-word."  
She gave a slight chuckle.  
"Fine."  
"Road trip for three!"  
"I already programmed the address into your GPS. Your car has better gas mileage than mine."  
"Don't lie. The Dickmobile has grown on you."  
"Why do you call it that?" she shook her head.  
"A four hour drive there and back? I'll take my turn driving to the beach and Logan can drive back."  
"I call shotgun. For when you're driving." She clarified.  
"You can't avoid him when he's in the same enclosed space as you. I won't invite him if you're planning on being rude and snarky."  
"He's snarky first!" she protested.  
"Ronnie, if he's on his best behavior you have to be too. Imagine if you're all bitchy. He'll know you're pining away for him."  
"I pine for no man." She repeated the phrase from Parker's party.  
"Then, prove it."  
"Is that a challenge, Mr. Casablancas?"  
"More than that, Ronnie. It's a triple-dog-dare."  
She gasped.  
"I can't turn those down!"  
"Oh, I know. So what's it gonna be, Ronnie? Will you be a good little ex-girlfriend or are you a wimpy chicken who can't handle triple-dog-dares."  
"Dare accepted." She said firmly.  
Dick smiled. He knew her better than she knew herself sometimes.  
-"Call me when you get there."  
"I will." Logan promised, trying to finish packing his bag and focus on Parker's voice on his cell phone.  
"Call me before you go to bed."  
"I will."  
"And Saturday morning so you can tell me your plans."  
"Uh-huh."  
"And before you drive back."  
"Yeah."  
"And when you get here I'll be waiting in your suite."  
"You don't have a key card."  
"Oh, well why don't you tell Management to have one for me so I can pick it up when I get here."  
_That's not creepy at all.  
_"They need me to ask one week in advance for those. Sorry." He lied.  
"Fine, call me when you get home and I'll come over. We'll want to catch up after all that time apart."  
_Because the hourly phone calls won't be enough?_  
"Okay, bye Parker."  
"Bye! I love you!"  
Logan froze.  
"I'll miss you!" he said and hung up, throwing his phone at the bottom of his bag.  
He felt bad for ending the call like that but Logan wasn't a guy who could lie about love. He could bend the truth with certain things, like the line about being the happiest with her, but the three words that expressed total emotion in a relationship were holy to him. He'd only said them twice. To Lilly and Veronica. Lilly had repeated the words frequently because she wanted him to stay happy for their constant sex romps. They'd both been too immature for actual love. Veronica… had been a different story.  
She hadn't said them back the two times he'd said them out loud. She would say "me too" or "yeah" but the actual words didn't come from her mouth. In a way Logan admired that. Yes, it hurt like hell that she hadn't said it, but he knew Veronica wasn't fickle about love. She would say it when she felt it, not before. Duncan said she didn't repeat it until 14 months into their relationship. Logan knew Troy and Deputy Whatever didn't hear Veronica's confession of love. Only Logan had been close enough to reach it.  
_ Close, but not close enough_.  
He still had nightmares about Aspen and then the confrontation with Veronica. Logan didn't remember the night he spent with Madison mostly because the amount of alcohol he consumed was illegal in almost every country on the planet. When he woke up the next morning and she was in his bed he'd run to the bathroom to throw up what seemed like his internal organs. After splashing water on his face he'd thrown Madison out, telling her to leave and never talk about that night again. It had meant nothing to Logan. It wasn't memorable enough to take up any space in his memory. When Veronica broke up with him, agony and vivid pain displayed on her tired face he hated Madison Sinclair for taking his true love from him. Over a night that only caused him nausea.  
"Logan?"  
Veronica's tentative voice reached him and he listened, wondering if it was reality or another figment of his imagination.  
"Logan, are you ready to go?"  
It was reality. There she was in all her beauty, wearing tiny jean shorts and tank top that was green like her Converse.  
"Oh, yeah." He picked up his bag and followed her out the door to the elevator.  
"Dick's driving there and I've got shotgun. Sorry."  
"It's cool." He nodded, not being able to keep his eyes off her beautiful features.  
Her hair had grown longer and she'd left it down and straightened so it touched her sun-kissed shoulders.  
"We're going to Trestles Beach near San Diego. Best surf spot in Southern Cal."  
"I've heard of it. Never took the time to drive there."  
"Good, first time for all of us."  
"Veronica, why are you talking to me?" he asked.  
She turned to him, surprised.  
"You want me to stop?"  
"No, I just wondered… I thought you hated me. You always find a way to leave a room when I enter it. We haven't been close enough to talk since Parker's party."  
_The P-word. Fuck you, Dick._ Veronica thought but kept her easy smile on her face.  
"I've had a lot on my mind, but this trip is for relaxation and fun so no fighting or evasive behavior from me."  
"And no snark from me?"  
"That would be appreciated." She nodded and he laughed.  
"Who's the DJ for this 4 hour car ride?"  
"We're taking turns. Dick has the first hour and I hid his worst choices, Spice Girls and Blondie, but I didn't get the disco away."  
Logan groaned.  
"What's the damage?"  
"Tina Turner for the first half hour."  
"Hey, Mars what's love got to do with it?"  
"Love? I was thinking of cruel curses from God. Who invented disco?"  
"Satan, of course."  
"Right." She agreed.  
-

After three hours on the road and a cycling of DJ's for every hour, Dick stopped at a diner for a late lunch.  
"_I don't want to lose you  
This good thing  
That I got  
'Cause if I do  
I will surely,  
surely lose a lot_"  
"Stop it!" Logan ordered before Dick could launch into Knock on Wood again.  
"Hey, it's technically my turn again." Dick pointed out.  
"Yeah, and nothing screams heterosexual like disco music sung by women." Veronica deadpanned.  
"Not funny." Dick frowned.  
"You were really worrying me during the Cyndi Lauper marathon. Maybe we should speak to a professional source." Logan had a straight face as he touched Dick's shoulder. "It's okay to be different."  
Veronica laughed and Dick glared at them.  
"Don't gang up on me. Hey, BFF, you should be defending me right about now."  
Veronica laughed again and plopped into the spacious booth, with Logan going in after her. Dick raised an eyebrow towards Veronica and took a seat across from them. Veronica had noticed how differently Logan was acting. He was easygoing and funny without being a jackass. He talked about interesting things and when it was his turn for music he chose cool bands both modern and old style that would have been Veronica's choices too. He had checked his phone once on the drive and promptly turned it off, going back to discussing his Sociology class with Veronica. He'd slipped into the booth after her, sitting close enough to brush her leg with his even though there was sufficient space for them to sit without a fraction of their bodies touching. Veronica could see it and Dick obviously could because he'd give Veronica pointed looks every now and then. When they stopped for gas and Logan went inside to buy some gum, Dick said  
"Yeah, I can see how completely over you two are. No longing looks from you, no flirty comments from him."  
Veronica told him she didn't appreciate his sarcasm and that she was not giving him any longing looks. Dick shrugged but let it go since Logan had come back to the car._  
_"What are you in the mood for, Ronnie?"  
"Blueberry pancakes with scrambled eggs."  
The boys stared at her.  
"It's 6:45 in the afternoon." Logan said.  
"This is a diner, they make whatever you want whenever you want it. Don't judge me! I want pancakes!" she pouted.  
"Alright, no need to pout." Dick said and called over the waiter, who took their orders of blueberry pancakes with scrambled eggs, and two steaks well done with mashed potatoes and mixed vegetables.  
"We'll be there in about an hour. You've done the research, is it safe to surf at night?"  
"It is, but if you guys don't mind I'd rather check into the hotel and get some sleep. I had a particularly exhausting day." She let out an involuntary yawn.  
"I thought you only had Landry today." Dick said.  
"Yeah, and the class is only two hours, but Dr. Landry asked me to stay after class and gave me an extra assignment. He's trying to train me for an application at the FBI's internship. I'm writing extra papers and completing these weird personality tests. After that, this guy asked me for help tracking down some stolen money. It was a simple case, no dangers, I promise, but it took me hours and then I was packing when I got an unexpected visitor." She looked down at her hands and Dick knew that was the true cause of her fatigue.  
"Who was it? Whose ass do I have to kick?"  
"Dick, you would never hit a woman."  
"Mac."  
Veronica nodded but didn't elaborate.  
"Later?"  
She nodded again and Logan felt a little hurt that she wasn't sharing what had happened because he was there.  
"Food's here." He said as the waiter placed the steaming hot food in the respective person's space.

After their dinner break they went back to the road, Dick choosing several hits by Abba to blast for his turn.  
Veronica turned off the music after Dick made a right turn to the exit for Trestle Beach and the nearby town.  
"Hey!" he complained.  
"I need to give you directions for the hotel I chose. The GPS won't work for it."  
"If you must you must." He grumbled.  
He had been immersed in his rendition of Dancing Queen. It was frightening.  
"I must. It's called the Trestle Haven."  
"Haven?" Logan asked.  
"It's where all the surfers who come into town stay. There are postings for any surfing competitions and events on the beach in the lobby. Plus, there's a game room, indoor movie theater with a feature film screened every night, a built in steakhouse and awesome rooms. The one I chose has 2 rooms with king sized beds in each."  
"Ronnie, we need three beds!"  
"Nuh-uh. I'm taking one and you and Logan are sharing the other."  
"What?!" both males said.  
"I made the reservation at the room weeks ago. It isn't so easy to get a room here. It's always busy this time of year and on the weekends. You should be thankful we have two beds. It's a king sized bed, guys, pick your sides and resist the urge to cuddle." She grinned.  
"I'll get you for this, Mars."  
"Is that a threat, Echolls? You're supposed to be on your best behavior." She turned in her seat, eyes sparkling with amusement.  
It had been a long time since Logan had been witness to Veronica's sapphire eyes in all their glory. It was moments when she was incredibly happy or amused or displaying deep passion that her eyes would light up, leaving Logan breathless.  
"Only if you want it to be." He said and both noticed the slight huskiness of it.  
Veronica turned back and pointed to a street where Dick could turn and find the hotel's parking lot.  
-

"I'm impressed." Logan admitted as they entered the hotel's second largest suite.  
The largest was the honeymoon suite and Veronica knew that would be too awkward for the threesome.  
"Yeah, Ronnie. Way to go. You're Little Miss Plan"  
"Thanks. If you're hungry we can order in room service and watch some Pay-Per-View. I'm going to put my stuff in my room. Excuse me." She went to the smaller room, being fair to the sharing boys, and arranged the clothes in the expensive oak dressers.  
She had her own bathroom with a tub bigger than the one at home and an expansive sink where she arranged her toiletries. The bed was comfortable and bouncy, as proven by her excited jumps.  
"I thought I heard the bed springs and I knew you weren't getting it on, since Logan was still in the room with me. The only other option was your bed jumping hobby."  
Veronica and Logan blushed at his comment and Veronica recovered first.  
"If I hear your bed springs I'll definitely give you two privacy. It won't be bed jumping then." She winked and walked into the living room, flopping on the couch and turning on the TV to a mindless reality show.  
"Enough with the gay jokes!" Dick exclaimed.  
"To be fair, you were really into Man, I Feel Like a Woman." Logan said.  
"Does no one else appreciate the classics?"  
"The classics are the Stones, the Beatles and Led Zeppelin. Your disco inferno crap pile is not classics. It went out of style for a reason."  
Logan laughed and sat on the other couch while Dick rolled his eyes and sat with Veronica, putting her feet in his lap and using her knees as an arm rest. As the best friends argued over what to watch, Logan observed them, feeling like an outsider. It was strange because he and Veronica had such a long history and a relationship as confusing as hieroglyphics and he considered Dick his best guy friend. Yet, sitting on the couch by himself he felt out of place. They were best friends with instinctual behaviors toward each other. They fit together perfectly… Like comfortable lovers.  
"You have the deciding vote, Logan. Fear Factor or a documentary on animal mating behavior?" Veronica rolled her eyes at Dick's choice.  
"Fear Factor. Why would I want to watch animals have sex?" Logan shook away his saddening thoughts and focused on the little blonde that changed his life forever.  
"Exactly! Another sane person in the room. I'm starting to think bringing you along was a great idea I had."  
"It was so my idea." Dick interjected.  
"No, don't think so. Good ideas come from me. The brains of this operation."  
"I'll settle for being the beauty."  
"Oh, still me. You're the... mascot of this operation."  
Dick glared and hit her with a sofa cushion.  
"Dick!" she yelled and hit him with the notepad next to the telephone.  
"You started it!" he got another cushion and launched it at her.  
"You threw the first cushion, jerk!" the notepad was back in her hand.  
Logan laughed at their antics, until a cushion hit him square in the face.  
"You're dead, dude." He said in a low voice.  
"Ha! Us versus you!" Veronica laughed and proceeded to hit Dick with her notepad and a cushion Logan gave her.  
-"Rise and shine, boys!" Veronica said using the perkiest voice she could manage.  
She received a groan from Logan and a curse from Dick.  
"How did you two wake up for your surfing trips before I came along?" she shook her head and pulled off the blankets in one quick jerk.  
"Cold!" Dick said.  
"Next time sleep in pajamas and not your tightie whities." Veronica giggled and Logan jumped off the bed.  
"Hey, you need to be fully dressed when we're sharing a bed!"  
"I didn't feel like it." Dick explained and dragged himself off the bed to the shower.  
"What time is it?" Logan asked.  
"6:30. I checked the board for the events scheduled for today and there's a Luau Party tonight at the sand cliffs near the beach. There's also a BBQ for lunch near the main surfing area where they're playing games and stuff. There are money prizes and gift certificates for restaurants and other attractions in the town. I heard there was a beach volleyball competition! I love beach volleyball."  
"Wow, you've become quite the beach bunny. Surfing and beach volleyball." Logan smiled.  
" I should have asked you to teach me to surf a long time ago. It's so exhilarating and freeing, you know?"  
"I know. It was what got me through most days of my childhood."  
Veronica caught the brief flash of pain on his face at the mention of his parents.  
"I wanted to thank you for letting me come along. I know you planned this trip for you and Dick to hang out and I was intruding."  
"Not at all, Logan. I'm glad you're here. Before we were together we were friends and I've missed being just your friend. You're an amazing person and you're interesting and fun."  
"So are you, Veronica. You're the best friend I've ever had." His hazel eyes were intense as he looked down at her and it took a lot of willpower for Veronica to tear her gaze away.  
"I ordered breakfast for you guys. I already had fruit and yogurt. It's in the kitchen area." She stepped back and left the room, leaving Logan staring after her.  
_Was I going to kiss her? Let's face it, I'm still attracted to her and now she's surfing and being the open friend I depended on when we were 12. My feelings are haywire. I have to remember Parker, my girlfriend. Oh shit! I haven't called her once. I'm overdue on about 5 phone calls. She must be pissed._  
Logan remembered he's charged his cell phone in the living room so he disconnected it and sat on the couch, taking a deep breath before dialing Parker's number.  
"Where have you been?!" she answered and he winced at the pitch of her voice at early morning hours.  
Funny how Veronica's voice didn't make him grit his teeth even if she woke him up at 6 or 4 in the morning.  
"Sorry, honey, I've been busy."  
"That idiot must be keeping you away from me."  
"No he isn't. Dick and I have been surfing, that's it."  
"I was worried."  
"I didn't meant worry you." He said in soothing tone. "How are you doing?"  
Parker was telling him every second of her day when Veronica walked over to him, coffee pot in hand and asked him  
"Logan, do you want some-  
"Shh." He said, covering the phone.  
It was too late, though. Veronica moved back as Logan held the phone a few inches from his ear.  
"Who is _that_?" Parker asked viciously.  
"Room service. It's one of the maids, I promise. She makes coffee in the room for us. It's a five star hotel. They give the best service ever." He covered.  
"It sounded like _Veronica_" the name rolled off her tongue like a curse.  
"What? No! Why would you think that? I don't know or care where Veronica is."  
Veronica had walked away when she realized he was talking to Parker, but from the kitchen area behind the sofa she heard Logan's side of the conversation.  
"I don't believe you. It sounded just like the little whore!"  
"I swear I don't know where she is. Probably putting her nose where it doesn't belong or bitching somewhere." He gave a forced laugh. "I miss you."  
Parker sighed.  
"Yeah, I miss you too. My jealousy took control of me. It's just _she_ brings it out of me. I know how you felt about her and how you don't feel the same for me and it hurts."  
"That's not true. I care a lot about you."  
"You loved _her_." Her voice was raising and becoming nasty again.  
"I love _you_" he said quickly.  
There were two reactions to his words. One was Parker's squeal of happiness, a sound that almost ruined his hearing in the right ear. The second reaction was one of pain. Veronica ran from a room, from Logan, once again not able to control the tears that blurred her vision.  
-

"Ronnie? Ronnie!" Dick had finished his shower, had breakfast and now he couldn't find his best friend.  
He searched her room and the balcony of the suite before knocking on the bathroom door where Logan was showering.  
"What is it?" he asked, a towel wrapped around his waist and his hair still wet from the shower.  
"Have you seen Veronica?"  
"Uh, she was here before I got in the shower. She offered me coffee and that was the last time I saw her."  
"What happened?" Dick asked suspiciously.  
"Nothing. I was on the phone so I didn't hear if she left, I guess."  
"On the phone? With Parker?"  
"Yeah, who else?"  
_Fuck. I'm an idiotic bastard and the worst best friend on the freaking planet._  
"I'm going out to look for her." He grabbed his car keys.  
"She's on foot, she can't have gone far. I'll go with you." Logan made to rush to his clothes but Dick stopped him.  
"No, stay here. I'll find her by myself."  
"Dick, what happened?"  
"It doesn't matter. Wait here. I don't need you getting lost too." Dick left the room, leaving a confused Logan behind.  
-Veronica's chest ached. It was a physical pain that threw her off balance and coupled with her tears didn't allow for a pleasant walk down the beach. She stared into the distance at the early surfers who were riding the perfect waves. She wished she'd brought her surfboard and suit, but escaping the source of her pain was her only thought. Dick had promised her he'd take care of the P-word, but of course the call had to happen when Dick was useless in the shower.  
_I'm not sure what hurts more, Logan saying he doesn't care where I am and that I snoop around and bitch all the time or that… that he loves Parker now. People only have room to love one person in that way. Take me, for example, I'm plagued by my love for Logan forever. I look at a guy and I instantly compare him to Logan, physically and anything he says or does. When I hear a love song I think of Logan and how our relationship goes with the sugary sweet words. Is it irony or plain cruelty that makes me feel this choking love for someone who doesn't want me back? Maybe I'm getting what I deserve for not returning Logan's I love you's or for the awful way I treated him for so long. I blamed him for everything that happened in Neptune, for my rape, for Lilly's murder. I was constantly pushing him away and keeping my life from him. I didn't trust him or show him I loved him. He really is happier than he ever was with me. Parker may treat me awful, but it's because she loves Logan. And she finally got him to say it back. I wonder if I'll be invited to the wedding…  
_Veronica's tears fell harder at the thought of a wedding. She may have been tough through high school, but the little naïve Veronica inside her had been dreaming of the white wedding since first grade. She'd picture her empire waist dress and a veil that flowed with her wavy golden hair. She imagined a fancy ballroom, majestic church, and her father walking her proudly down the aisle. Mostly, she thought of her husband. The groom to her bride. And for the past couple of years Logan filled that spot in her dreams. Now, that pristine image of happiness and marriage crashed and burned as Veronica replayed Logan's words over and over.  
_I don't know or care where Veronica is…Probably bitching somewhere… I love __**you**__…_**you**...**you**  
"Stop!" she screamed at her mind or Parker or Logan, at someone.  
She ran down the beach, thankful there were few people around to witness her breakdown, and stopped near a small cliff of rocks where she lay back against the cool rock and put her head in her hands, curling her body into herself. She let her sobs rack her body as she cried out her love and hate for Logan Echolls.  
"I'm so sorry." A gentle voice said in her ear and she turned into the welcoming chest and strong arms.  
"It hurt, Dick. So much." She sobbed and he stroked her hair.  
"Tell me about it."  
She retold the conversation through choked sobs and buried her face into his broad chest when she was finished.  
"Slap me, Ronnie. I broke my promise to you so I get a slap."  
"I don't want to slap you." She said tiredly. "I want to get away. I want to swim the ocean all the way across the world and escape California. Everyone hates me, Dick."  
"What? Why would you think that? There are so many people that care about you."  
"People at Hearst fear me and hate me. The only teacher who would care if I died is Professor Landry. My dad loves me, but he's been gone more often with nonstop cases that require flights around the country. Wallace has Piz and he and I don't get the time to hang out anymore. Mac… has expressed her opinions about me directly and Logan is gone."  
"Gone? He's waiting in the hotel suite for us."  
"That's not what I meant. My Logan was this amazing guy who helped me through tragedies, risked his life for me more than once and swore he'd love me for eternity. He told me he'd never give up on me and that we'd share our love together. That Logan is gone. There's this new Logan who looks just like mine, even has the capability to snark and act like the old Logan, but inside he's foreign to me. He belongs to Parker. She controls his heart and he says he doesn't care where I am because he wants to please Parker. I was being kind and friendly because I love Logan, but if I can't have him as a boyfriend I'd like him as a friend. Then, he tells Parker I'm not there because the thought of me near him will upset his perfect little girlfriend. I feel like utter shit. Meaningless and unwanted." She finished by picking at her nails, causing skin to peel, until Dick took her hands in his larger ones and turned her to him.  
"Listen to me, and listen to me good. You mean the world to me, Ronnie. You are my best friend and the only good memory of my childhood in Neptune. I want you with me always because you're funny and beautiful and entertaining. You bring life to things and without you I wouldn't have accepted what happened with Cassidy or my father. You've saved the lives of all your friends and strangers. You are determined to seek justice for all who need it and you aren't afraid to suffer for the truth. Logan's an idiot for not seeing what's in front of him. I don't think I need to get into how much I hate that bitch he calls a girlfriend. Let's leave it at if I could see her fed to bears, I would."  
Veronica's lips gave a faint smile as he used a line she's used before.  
"I love you, Ronnie. I think you're all the family I've got. And I hope you see that I'm here for you whenever you need me. If you need to escape I'll be here."  
"I want to tell you about Mac coming over yesterday." She said quietly.  
Dick gave a small nod to show he was listening.  
"She came over because she said she hadn't seen me in a long time and she was wondering where I was. She saw me packing a bag and she asked where I was going. I told her about the trip… that you were going and that Logan was going. Bad idea." Her eyes closed and he saw her tighten her grip around her knees. "She started yelling at me and insulting me. Said I was deliberately trying to ruin the life of an innocent girl like Parker by taking her boyfriend just because I felt like he belonged to me. She brought our friendship into it and my relationship with Duncan. She went back to high school and it was just… awful. Almost as bad as hearing Logan earlier."  
Dick pulled her into his embrace again, staying quiet as she cried again. He let her cry until she tired herself out and fell asleep in his arms against the rocks. He lifted her easily, carefully cradling her so he could walk them back to where he'd parked. He drove back to the hotel, thinking of the rest of the trip.  
_Logan can't know why she's crying. Veronica would hate showing weakness to him like this… I'll have to make something up. She'll want time to herself so I'll find a way to distract Logan until this trip is over. When we get back Veronica will want to retreat into herself and I'll let her this time. She tried staying friends with Logan, but her wounds aren't healed yet. It's too soon. She's better off staying away from him until she gets a chance to heal. As for Mac and Wallace… I'm going to have a talk with them when we get back._

When Dick opened the door, balancing Veronica as he put the key card back into his pocket. Logan had been watching TV, his mind on Veronica, when the door opened. He jumped up and ran over when he saw Veronica in Dick's arms.  
"What happened? Is she okay?" he asked frantically.  
"She's fine. Stress from some school work getting to her. She needs more sleep. I'm skipping out on the waves today. I'm staying with Veronica. This is a surf trip so you're welcome to use my car to get to the beach. It's a few blocks away."  
"I want to stay with her too."  
"No, you're going to surf and have a good time. I'm staying here with her." Dick's voice left no room for argument and Logan knew stress from school work was not what had caused Veronica to run away and cry her eyes out, from the looks of it.  
"Okay. I'll be back later."  
Dick put Veronica into her bed, tucking her in and giving her a kiss on the forehead.  
"Get some rest, bestie" he whispered, walking out of her room.  
"Should I eat dinner outside?"  
"Yeah, Logan, it's nothing against you I just want to spend some time with her. We had originally planned it this way."  
"Yeah, yeah I get it." Logan said nonchalantly.  
When Dick went to the bathroom to wash his face and hands Logan slipped into the sleeping girl's bedroom and approached the bed.  
"I don't know what I did to you, my love, but I'm sorry." He whispered. "I've been hurting you so much and it kills me to see you in pain. I was wrong before about being apart having manageable pain. Being away from you is eating me away inside. Parker doesn't make me feel happy. I don't love her, Veronica. God, I love you more than my life. I wish I could tell you that. But, I can't. You can't be with someone like me. Look what I cause you without even noticing? I would break you if we were together again. You aren't the unstable roller coaster, Veronica. I am. I'm sorry I'm so fucked up." He finished, backing out of the room slowly to keep her angelic face in his sight.  
He closed the door behind him, careful to be quiet before he rushed out the front door with Dick's car keys.

In the darkened bedroom Veronica opened her eyes.  
"I love you too, Logan." She breathed, his words echoing in her brain.  
_This changes things, doesn't it?_


	4. Chapter 4

**I keep getting pulled into this one, so I'm updating this one often. Thanks for the quick reviews. I was surprised at how much you all loved this story. Also, sometimes FanFiction turns my paragraphs into italics, which is total crap, and I don't mean for it to be like that. Italics are for my flashbacks, like the ones in this chapter. I'll make sure to fix it if I see it happen again.  
Note: I love Ma/Di but I don't think they will be together in this story. I fit them into most of my stories, but please don't get upset if they aren't in this one.**

Part Four

Veronica padded into the living room at 5:30 wearing jean shorts and a band T-shirt tied up at her stomach, with flip flops on her feet. She had taken another shower and arranged her hair into a perfect ponytail. She had her wetsuit in one hand and sunscreen in the other in case the low sun still affected her delicate skin.  
"Ronnie, you should stay in bed." Dick stood from his spot on the couch.  
"No, what I should do is go surfing with my best friend. We came on this trip to relax and so far I've been crying the hours away. It's not fair to you, Dick, and I feel better. Besides, what's the best way to deal with the shit of our lives?"  
"Surfing." He said reluctantly.  
Veronica had a genuine smile on her face, but he didn't understand how she'd done the complete 180 from crying and cursing love to happy girl mode.  
"This is the best beach in Southern California and I'm wasting the waves by feeling sorry for myself in my room? Absolutely not."  
"Okay… we'll go surfing on one condition."  
"Which is?"  
"You tell me what _really_ changed your mood." He crossed his arms expectantly and she rolled her eyes.  
"Why can't you be the same clueless idiot of last year? Now you're observant and stuff."  
"I know _you _that's all. I'm waiting…" he tapped his foot and she was reminded of an overprotective older brother.  
Veronica sighed but told him about Logan visiting her room when he thought she was asleep.  
"I want to say I told you so, but the issue is far from over." Dick said.  
"It's still hard to understand. If he loves me and not Parker, why is he with her? Why does he tell her he loves her?"  
"Duh, he's a fucktard."  
"Dick!"  
"What? He is. He got with Parker to try to move on from you, but he hasn't. And I can't blame him. Not only are you an unforgettable little whirlwind, but Parker is a hell bitch."  
"You have the worst potty mouth."  
"I have no filter, yeah. Have you talked to Parker recently?"  
"Even if I had the chance she'd rather run over me with a car then talk."  
"Well, she isn't the same bubbly college girl you remember."  
"What do you mean?"  
"She's needy and whiny and freaking annoying. She calls Logan all the time and shows up unexpectedly. I got home one night from my Business class and she was like camped outside the room, waiting for him. She started barking orders at me like letting her in and finding Logan. I didn't know where the hell he was, I wasn't his mother. He shows up a few minutes later and lets her in and even from my room, with the door closed; I heard her yelling at him. That thing you said before about Logan being a different person, not your Logan, is true. The Logan I knew was badass and awesome. He didn't let any girl treat him like that."  
"I treated him like that." Veronica said, looking away as she thought of how she'd storm into his suite always ready for a fight with him.  
"You guys had explosive fights and then hours of hot make-up sex. This is different. Parker bosses him around and he doesn't say _anything._ They don't argue; she yells and he takes it."  
"Logan Echolls? Are we talking about the same person? He never let Lilly or me or anyone yell without him yelling right back."  
"Unless the _Invasion of the Body Snatchers_ happened Logan's changed because of Parker."  
"When did she stop being nice?"  
"A week after her party. That's as much as I can remember since I wasn't in the suite with them often. I've been hanging with you far away from all that drama. Anyway, that's the first time I remember her yelling at him because she found an old mix tape."  
"Mix tape?"  
"Yeah, it had your name on it and the word **Epic**"  
"Oh my God. I know that tape."

"_Hi honey I'm home." Veronica grinned, stepping into the Neptune Grande penthouse. "Logan? Where are you?"  
Logan stepped out of his closet with his hands behind his back.  
"I have a surprise for you."  
"And it's behind your back? Hmm, did you adopt a pony for me?! Can it be? Will someone finally grant me my childhood dream?"  
"Sorry, love, that's not it." Logan bent to kiss his little blonde girlfriend and produced a tape from behind his back.  
"A tape? Epic." She read the label on the tape and stared up at him, confused.  
"A mixed tape. For you. These are songs that remind me of you or make me think of something we shared together."  
"Sway? I Hear the Bells?"  
"Check and Check. Our first dance at the Sadie Hawkins dance was, in my opinion, a beautiful occasion and even though Alterna Prom didn't end on the best note for us, you love that song. A few days after the prom I was hit by this memory and it just started with that song. I closed my eyes and tried to grasp at the rest of the memory. I played the song on my computer and then I remembered."  
"Remembered what?"She asked softly, having never heard this story before.  
"I thought our story was epic, you know? You and me." He began and Veronica whispered her line.  
"Epic how?"  
"Spanning years and continents, lives ruined in bloodshed. Epic. But summer's almost here and we won't see each other at all. Then you'll leave town and it's over."  
"Logan." She said and this time she wasn't saying his name in disbelief over his words, but in emotion at his perfect recital of that speech of almost a year before.  
"I'm sorry about last summer, you know if I could do it over…" he looked at her, wanting her to play along.  
"Come on, ruined lives bloodshed? You really think a relationship should be that hard?"  
"Hmm. Well no one writes songs about the ones that come easy." He finished and there was a moment of silence before Veronica felt his thumb brush her face and she realized she was crying.  
"I can't believe you remember. All of it."  
"It took me some time, but it all came back to me. I'm sorry about Kendall. And the next morning. I'm sorry about a lot of things."  
"I am too." She wiped away her tears and gave him a bright smile. "What else is on here, Casanova?"  
He chuckled.  
"Excited by the romantic inside me?"  
"Yeah, I'm kinda turned on too."  
Logan raised an eyebrow.  
"Wanna listen to it while we engage in other physical activity?"  
"Best idea ever." She said, kissing him eagerly.  
"Control yourself, bobcat. Let me pop the tape in." he walked to his stereo and put the tape in.  
Veronica listened as the tape started with Elvis Costello's Veronica.  
"Unoriginal, I know, but the song repeats your name a lot. Good enough for me." He shrugged and Veronica kissed him.  
As they made love to his mix tape Veronica knew she loved Logan. She also knew she couldn't say it yet.  
That was okay, though. Logan would wait for her. Then, when she finally said it they could think of their future. Epic couples are destined for epic futures. And that's what they were._

"Ronnie?" Dick's voice pulled her back to the present.  
She shook her head to clear it from the fog of nostalgia.  
"Yeah, I was saying I know that tape. What happened when she found it?"  
"It was in his stereo and she had been going through his things, looking for some music when she found it. She went crazy, throwing his cologne and clothes to the floor. She threw the tape too."  
"It broke?" she asked, feeling that the answer would somehow affect her.  
"No, Logan said it fell on some clothes and after the fight he told me to hide the tape in my room. I have it in one of my dresser drawers, if you want it."  
"I do." She breathed.  
"Right, so I'll get my wet suit and we'll head down to the beach. Logan's already there."  
"Oh, but our boards are in your car so we'll have to find him for the keys, right?"  
"No, I have a spare set of keys. In case of emergencies."  
"You thought of emergencies and planned ahead? Were you invaded by a body snatcher?"  
"Very funny. I love the Dickmobile and I'm prepared for any sort of car disaster." He went into his room and came back with his wet suit and car keys.  
"We'll put them on at the beach. You wearing your bathing suit?"  
"Yeah." She lifted her shirt and Dick whistled at her tiny black bikini.  
"Trying to give Logan a heart attack?"  
"Just a glimpse of what he's missing." She said slyly and Dick gave her a high five.  
-

Logan had surfed for almost two hours, but he had gotten tired of the isolation. He usually loved the peace he felt alone with the ocean and his board, but knowing Veronica was a few blocks away and in pain made him feel a strange disconnection from the world. He'd taken off his wet suit and put his stuff back in Dick's car before wandering down the beach to the area Veronica had mentioned about the Luau party. He'd missed lunch and the barbeque so his stomach was protesting loudly.  
"Hey, you a surfer?" a guy asked, pausing in his work setting up a tent.  
"Yeah, is this where that luau is happening?"  
"Yep, it isn't set to start for another hour, but if you help me with this stuff I'll let you have a turkey burger." The guy smiled, hearing Logan's stomach.  
"Deal."

Twenty minutes later the tent, along with tables, chairs, grills, and various Hawaiian decorations were set up. The guy, Donovan, had let Logan have two turkey burgers and some chips, sitting next to him talking about the beach and random parts of life.  
"I come down here, from San Francisco, every month."  
"Do you go to college?"  
"Yeah, in San Fran. But, there's something more important here." Donovan took a sip of his beer.  
"Amazing waves?"  
Donovan chuckled.  
"Oh, I'm not a surfer. I come here for Cassandra."  
"A girl?"  
"_The _girl. If you know what I mean."  
Logan did know. He knew very well.  
"What made her the one?"  
"It wasn't love at first sight, that's for sure. We met in high school in San Francisco and oddly enough we hated each other. She thought I was a jackass and I thought she was annoying and a prude." He laughed, thinking of some encounter with the girl.  
"What changed?"  
"This guy, her boyfriend at the time, was pushing her around at this party we were at and she looked so scared and so tiny, you know? I stepped in. Kicked the guy's ass and the rest was history. She moved here to live with an aunt after her parents split up and I wanted to follow her the second she left, but my parents wouldn't let me leave until I finished my senior year of high school. It was torture. Finally, I finished graduated top of my class and told my parents to shove it. I applied to the best school in San Francisco and before the first semester started I tracked down Cassie down here. She'd been waiting for me too. I told her I loved her and she said she loved me too. I don't want to be a bum who has no job or education, so I go to college and I'm studying to be an engineer. It's my third year at college and one more before I get the Associate's degree. Then, I'm transferring to the small college here. Even with a monthly trip to see her, long distances are killer." Donovan admitted.  
"Where is Cassandra now?"  
"She'll be at the luau later. She was doing something with her aunt. I help out the guys who handle the events on Trestle Beach. One of them is an old friend of mine so I chip in. What are you doing at Trestle? You don't seem like the lone surfer type."  
"Lone surfer?"  
"There are some loners who come down for the waves with no friend or girl and they have a specific type. There's an intense, creepy look in their eyes and they usually have beards or tattoos. You don't seem like that type."  
"I'm here with some friends" he said, looking out at the ocean.  
Getting into further details of Veronica and even Dick would reveal parts of his past that weren't told to strangers, no matter how nice they were.  
"It's cool I'm not asking for the story of your life and relationships. The luau will start soon and you can see all the other surfers and people from around here. They're nice and a lot of cute girls come down."  
"They surf too?"  
"Not really. I've seen one or two that surf, the rest are just eye candy. But, that's what most guys look for, right?"  
_I used to, _Logan thought.  
"Hey, there's a real cute girl. Actually, she's extremely hot. And please, God, don't tell Cassie I said that." Donovan was staring left of Logan and when Logan followed his gaze he almost gasped out loud.  
There was Veronica in a tight, little bikini sliding her milky thighs into a wet suit and getting ready to enter the water with Dick.  
"Veronica."  
"You know her?" Donovan questioned.  
"Yeah she's a… friend."  
"Uh-huh." Donovan said, unconvinced. "Is that guy with her another friend?"  
"Yeah. We're all… friends." The word felt lame when associated with Veronica.  
"A hot girl that surfs? Whoever is her boyfriend is one lucky dude."  
"Yeah." Logan said, eyes trained on Veronica.  
-

"That was the best surf ever! I've never been that exhilarated in my whole life!" Veronica exclaimed, dropping her board on the sand and shaking out her hair.  
"Gotta hand it to you, Ronnie. You picked an awesome beach."  
"Thank you, monsieur. I'm hungry. I think the luau I told you about started already. In the mood for some food?"  
"That rhymed." He gave a childish giggle and Veronica stared with her eyes wide.  
"Okayy. Let's move on from that."  
Dick glared at her and took both their surfboards to his car. The friends peeled off their suits and put them on a designated carpet on the floor of the trunk. Veronica left her T-shirt in the car and pulled on the jean shorts so she was left in the bikini top and shorts. Dick chose to stay shirtless and pull on his swim trunks. They walked to the luau and Veronica spotted Logan sitting with a couple near a circle of tiki torches.  
"Dude!" Dick greeted when they were still at a distance, always one to call attention to himself.  
His loud voice made several people turn and eye them. Veronica elbowed Dick in the side.  
"Ow, what was that for Ronnie?"  
"We're not at a street market, Dick."  
"And we're not at a library."  
"Moderate your voice."  
"Yes, _Mom_" he said sarcastically and Veronica daintily put her foot in his path so that he tripped and fell face-first into the sand.  
Almost everyone looked over at his fall. Veronica burst into laughter and Logan stood to bend down where Dick lay.  
"What did you say to piss her off?"  
"Called her mom."  
"Ouch." Logan shook his head and approached Veronica. "Hey." He said, lowering his voice so they could converse without anyone hearing.  
"Hey."  
"How are you doing?"  
"Better. Stress meltdown, I guess."  
"You mentioned seeing Mac earlier. What happened?"  
"Forget it. That's not something I want to talk about."  
"Did you tell Dick?"  
She didn't answer and he knew she had.  
"Got it. We aren't really friends then, are we? You don't want to tell me what bothers you or anything."  
"Friends? It's funny, the definition I know of friends are people who support you and care about your feelings. Friends don't badmouth their friends on phone calls with their girlfriends." Veronica didn't say anything else and she walked over to help Dick up and lead him to a table with food set up buffet style.  
_The phone call. Of course. She heard it and that's why she ran away._ Logan ran a hand through his hair and cursed.  
"Everything all right?" Donovan asked, having seen Veronica walk away from him after their brief exchange. "If your friend okay?"  
"We aren't friends." Logan said in a distant tone.  
Donovan realized there was something there but he didn't comment. Instead, he passed Logan a beer and pulled him back to his seat into a conversation about surfing. Cassandra held Donovan's hand as he talked and every once in a while they'd share a quick kiss as if reminding each other they were truly next to each other. Logan glanced at Veronica and saw her dancing happily with Dick and some other guys, her exposed midriff beckoning any single man to touch her. It made Logan furious.  
_And I can't say anything because she's already angry. I'm such an idiot. I was so focused on calming Parker down that I said mean things about Veronica and then told Parker I loved her. I'm a hypocrite now. I did what I said I'd never do. Lied about love._

The luau broke up at ten o clock and everyone promised to meet back for the event planned for the next day. There would be a surfing competition for any semi-professionals interested and tons of food for all. Logan said good night to Donovan and Cassandra before trudging over to Dick's car, where Dick was already waiting.  
"Where's Veronica?"  
"Talking to Mark."  
"Mark?" Logan questioned but Dick didn't respond.  
Veronica skipped over to the passenger seat, victorious smile on her face.  
"Why so chipper?" Dick asked.  
"Mark asked for my phone number."  
"And?"  
"I said if I saw him tomorrow I'd give it to him."  
"And?"  
"He said he lived two hours from Neptune and if I didn't see him tomorrow he'd drive to Neptune every day to find me and ask me out. He said he couldn't survive if he never saw me again."  
"Hook, line and sinker! Up high, short stuff!" Dick raised a hand and Veronica jumped up to high five him.  
"How 'bout you?"  
"Three phone numbers. All red heads." Dick announced proudly.  
"Atta boy!"  
Logan stood there, again feeling out of place, and simply got into the backseat without a word.

When they got to the suite Veronica bid them good night and skipped to her room, shutting the door behind her. Dick took a shower and then let Logan take his turn. They had turned off the lights and curled into their separate sides of the bed when Dick spoke, startling Logan who thought the other boy was asleep.  
"You know why she was crying." Dick said, not a question.  
"Yes."  
"You know that you're a fucktard."  
"Yes." He said again.  
"Why are you with Parker? Can't you see what's in front of your stupid face?"  
"I'm not good for Veronica."  
"No shit, but who is? I don't think anyone deserves Veronica, but if someone has to have her I choose the guy who supposedly loves her more than anyone else."  
"I do, Dick."  
"Sick way of showing it."  
"What do I do? Break up with Parker? Fall to my knees in front of Veronica and beg for her to take me back?"  
"Dude, has being with Parker really made you this retarded and pathetic? First, you've got to end it with Parker and erase her from your life. Stop those needy phone calls and her camping out in front of our room. Seriously, that's creepy shit."  
Logan nodded in the darkness.  
"As for Ronnie, you have to figure out how to do it. Don't beg on your knees. She won't want that; she'll think you're mocking her or something. You guys were known for your arguments and fights. It usually made you stronger together."  
"Until it broke us up."  
"What broke you up was trust issues and sleeping with the whorebag of California."  
"Do you hate me for that too?"  
"I could care less about Madison Sinclair. It hurt Veronica because she still blames Madison for things at Shelley's party. Madison teased her about it and played on all her insecurities. Mainly the one about you."  
"What?"  
"She didn't tell you how she found out about you and Madison?"  
"No, and I never thought to ask about it. It was hard enough knowing what I'd done."  
"Ronnie was in a lingerie store, finding something to prove she was a dedicated girlfriend. She chose something and Madison shows up, says you wouldn't like that type. She tells Ronnie you guys slept together and that she only wanted to give Ronnie some tips so she wouldn't embarrass herself with you. Veronica is still insecure about sex. You know that."  
Logan wished his morals allowed him to hit a woman because he'd only want one hit: at Madison's big, pernicious mouth. Veronica had taken some time to be intimate with him. She was nervous and worried about being inadequate or bad. Logan had told her to stop being ridiculous. She would be the best simply because it was her. And he had been right. Sex with Veronica was one of the best things on earth, second only to holding her close and feeling her heart beat with his.  
"I didn't know that."  
"Yeah, I figured. Don't tell her I told you. The only reason I'm bothering to talk to you is because we've grown close and I know her better than almost anyone. She hasn't moved on. I don't think she can."  
Logan felt hope in his chest.  
"I have a chance?"  
"It's slim. Miniscule. And you don't have that much time."  
"Why?"  
"She may still want to be with you, but if you don't tell her how you feel soon she's leaving. For good."  
"Leaving?"  
"Transferring to another college out of state."  
"She said that?"  
"She already filled out the forms. Northeastern wants her. It's got an amazing Criminal Justice program. She got the dean and Professor Landry to pull a lot of strings. Probably used the head tilt. She's going to get that FBI internship in Virginia for the summer and she's going to a college in Massachusetts after that. You won't see her again."  
"Fuck."  
"She has the interview with the Northeastern scholarship board in two weeks. After she passes that, there's nothing we can do. I won't change her mind if I think her life will be better away from all this drama and pain. But, if she has something worthwhile here then I would try to convince her to stay for me, for her dad, and for…"  
"For me. I love her, Dick."  
"Then prepare to fight for her."


	5. Chapter 5

**I have conflicted emotions about this chapter. I feel like writing it I sucked, but I'll let you guys decide. By the way, in the flashback later on I made it 3****rd**** person omniscient so you could see everyone's thoughts in the scene even though it was supposed to be only from Veronica's POV.  
Note: The time setting is Sunday late afternoon and they are coming back from the trip.**

Part 5

Dick's SUV came to a halt outside the Neptune Grande. Logan shot out of the back seat, belongings in hand, giving a brief wave or goodbye before he disappeared through the front doors. Veronica stared at the doors he'd left through and Dick rolled his eyes.  
"I'm taking you to Java the Hut for some coffee and you're going to tell me what happened." He said.  
"I can't."  
"You will. We don't have secrets from each other, Ronnie. You made me that promise three weeks ago. You've kept things hidden from Lilly, Duncan, Wallace, Mac, Logan and your dad, but you _swore_ you wouldn't do that to me."  
Images of sweaty bodies writhing together, moving for release, flashed through her mind and she began to cry into her hands.  
"Dick, I think I did something really bad."  
Dick pulled her into a hug, letting her cry into his chest over the center console.  
"Is your dad home?"  
She shook her head.  
"Then, I think it's best we discuss what happened there. It's more private than the coffeehouse.  
-

"I don't know where to start." She spoke softly.  
"Start from after breakfast this morning, when we went down to the beach for that surfing competition." He said and she nodded, putting on a determined face as she remembered the earlier hours.

"_The guy at the front desk said there are 3 categories: Beginner, Athlete and Expert." Veronica explained as they parked in front of the beach.  
"Expert, baby!" Dick said, whooping.  
"I'll do Expert too." Logan said. "What about you, Veronica?"  
"I don't feel ready to compete in anything yet."  
"I saw you surf yesterday; you could start in Athlete if you wanted."  
"Not yet." Was her curt reply.  
Logan didn't push her. She'd been distantly civil, answering his direct questions but never starting a conversation or maintaining eye contact.  
"Alright, Ronnie, that means you're head cheerleader."  
"Oh, the possibilities." She grinned. "Ready? Okay!" she put her arms into the V position. "Give me a D! Give me an I! Give me a C! Give me a K! What's that spell? Dick! Go Dick!" she jumped with each letter, making cute poses.  
"Perfect! What about Logan's cheer?"  
"Sorry, my brain can't comprehend multi-syllabic names. And after four letters, I get confused. Blonde here." She flipped her hair and blinked stupidly.  
Dick laughed and Logan gave a smile that was more sad than amused. This beautiful, amazing girl wasn't his anymore. Soon, she'd be with someone else like the awkward-looking Piz or whoever Mark was. What would he do if he saw her smiling and kissing someone else? Or hearing her say the one phrase he'd never gotten from her? And that's when Logan understood. Yesterday, he'd told Parker he loved her and that caused Veronica to run from the room. She was affected by his declaration of love for someone else. In the same way that Logan ached for any guy to touch or kiss Veronica, she only wanted Logan's love for her.  
Logan made Veronica feel things she'd never felt before. He brought out buried emotions and passion. And that scared her. She loved him, but admitting it was what made her run. How many times had she run from him? Too many to count.  
"I'm going to make her admit it, if it's the last thing I do." He told himself._

"_I signed us up, Logan." Dick said, after returning from the main booth.  
"When does it start?"  
"Not for another two hours. The Beginner competition started and in one hour the Athlete one will start. Then, we're up."  
"Want to a test-surf?"  
"Nah, I don't want to waste any energy. Ooh, a funnel cake stand!" Dick ran to buy a sweet, doughy dessert.  
"Hey, bring me one!" Veronica called after him.  
"Veronica." Logan whispered and she turned to stare into his eyes, caught off-guard by his lowered voice.  
"Logan." She said in the same hushed tone, like a secret confession falling from their lips.  
"We need to talk."  
"We're doing that now."  
"Not here, privately."  
"I'd rather not." She turned away, considering going to the funnel cake stand and shaking Logan's presence off, before she felt his warm hand on her arm.  
They had both gasped at the spark that shot from their connected skin. Logan removed his hand but stared down at her, hazel eyes penetrating and golden from the sunlight streaming around them.  
"Please."  
Veronica blamed the heat, mild hunger, the alignment of planets in outer space and even the changing tides of the ocean for her response.  
"We'll go back to the room when Dick surfs in the competition."  
"Okay." He nodded and broke their stare to check the time on his waterproof watch.  
His eyes are fucking magical, she thought._

_Two hours later Veronica was cursing Logan, his supernatural eyes and her weak, pathetic will power. Dick was almost vibrating with excitement as he put on his wetsuit with and got his board. Logan had told him to start walking to the contestant's area without him, while he changed.  
"Wish me luck, Ronnie."  
"Good luck, Dick. Bring home the gold." She gave him a kiss on the cheek before he walked to where all the other contestants, sans Logan, were gathered.  
"Ready?" Logan had come up behind her and she jumped at his sudden closeness.  
"Yeah. Are you sure you want to miss the chance at showcasing your surfing prowess?"  
"This is more important" he said without missing a beat.  
She led the way to the car and five minutes later they were seated on opposite couches in the suite's living room.  
"What is so important we had to ditch Dick?"  
"You are."  
Veronica's brow furrowed in confusion.  
"What are you talking about?"  
"Veronica, I love you."  
She felt the air leave her lungs.  
"I love you more than anything in this world."  
"More than you love Parker?" she asked, glaring at the floor.  
"I don't love Parker. I said that so she'd leave me alone. God, you don't know how unhappy I am with her."  
She had an idea, from what Dick had told her.  
"Parker tries to control every aspect of my life and she wants to be glued to my side 24 hours 7 days a week. She's jealous, needy, vicious and thoughtless. She hates my friends and most of what I do. She wants me to be a lawyer and stop surfing and being an idiot, as she says. She's always demeaning my hobbies or my problems. And she yells. All the fucking time. Like I was her child or a stray cat with fleas."  
Veronica listened without saying a word. She hadn't known how miserable he felt in his outwardly lovely relationship.  
"I thought she made you happier than you've ever felt before." She spat his words back bitterly.  
"Parker's birthday was my stupid plot to make you jealous."  
"And you pushed that nymphomaniac creep towards me to increase my misery at your sparkling little party with the sweetest cake in the whole fucking world?!" she was growing angry with him and her blue eyes were icy lasers.  
"All those things I did for her were completely opposite of you and what you'd want. Your birthday would be a private dinner with the people you truly love and a homemade cake. You're different, Veronica. Appearances and money aren't what you want. It's what drew me to you the first time we met. You were best friends with the richest family in California and you didn't blink an eyeball. You look at people for who they really are, not their net worth. You had high expectations for me and I would feel pressured to reach your set bar because I felt so unworthy of you. I thought you wanted to change me, but you just wanted me to better myself. I love you. Every difficult, pushy part of you."  
"Yeah, you keep saying you love me but still you try to hurt me." Her eyes were more vulnerable, glistening with threatening tears. "You slept with Madison and you used your relationship with Parker to hurt me. What twisted definition of love do you have, Logan?"  
"Madison meant nothing to me! We weren't together at the time, Veronica. You can't crucify me for that just because Madison strikes a nerve with you."  
"A nerve? She drugged me!"  
"Not purposely."  
"Now you're defending her?" the anger was back in her voice and features.  
"No! I'm saying one person raped you and it was Cassidy. You blame Madison too and I understand your reasons, but she wasn't the one who did it."  
"She helped and that's bad enough."  
"So did Dick!"  
"I've made my peace with Dick! And you know what the difference is? He sought my forgiveness and he cared about how I felt. Madison slept with my boyfriend the second we broke up and then told me about it, laughing at my pain and humiliation." Her tears fell and she roughly wiped them away.  
"I'm sorry about Madison. I'm sorry that someone worth less than nothing to me hurt you and ended what we had. I'm sorry about Parker. I don't love her and she doesn't make me happy. I'm sorry for everything, Veronica. You're the only one I want to be with. There's no one else for me. Please believe me." He knelt in front of the tearing blonde. "I love you."  
She took a deep breath and stared into his hazel eyes. His magical, beautiful eyes that shone with sincerity and love. With the sorrow she felt every day she was apart from him. So she bent down and kissed him, moaning at the contact with his lips. It was like coming home and being embraced by heaven. Being with Logan was all she wanted too.  
Their clothes were off in seconds and they were on Veronica' bed soon after. Logan pulled away from her, staring down with his hips poised above hers. She whimpered at the torturous closeness of what she craved, what she needed.  
"I love you." He breathed and Veronica shut her eyes tightly, before releasing the phrase she'd clutched deep in her soul for so long.  
"I love you too."  
Logan crushed his lips to hers in a bruising kiss and thrust inside her waiting body._

"Holy shit." Dick said when Veronica finished the story.  
She'd left out the graphic details of the sex because she felt awful and uncomfortable enough.  
"Afterwards, we didn't speak again. I stood, collected my clothes and went back to the beach, on foot, to see if you'd won your competition. Logan called my name a few times as I left, but I ignored him and he stopped calling. He showed up at the beach later, never directing a glance in my direction."  
"I knew something was off about him, but I can't believe I didn't notice your behavior. My first clue should have been that Logan skipped out on a surfing competition he could have won with his eyes closed."  
"I did my best to act indifferent, inside I was dying." She admitted.  
"Ronnie, why did you do that?" he asked gently and she punched the car door in a move eerily reminiscent of Logan.  
"I don't know… Now, I'm just like Madison. A whore with no regard for relationships and fidelity. God, Mac was right about me."  
"No, she was not. I didn't mean why did you sleep with Logan. I meant why did you run from him again?"  
"What?" Veronica turned to him, surprised.  
"I know why you slept together. You love each other and your feelings couldn't be repressed anymore. They were bound to explode after a heated conversation. It's how you work."  
"Dick, I'm the other woman!"  
"Logan wouldn't look at it that way. He has a relationship that's more an entrapment than a normal relationship. He's wretched without you and frankly so are you. He will end it with the hell bitch for you."  
"I know he will. That's my problem. I say the word and lives are ruined, people hurt."  
"Parker isn't people, she is _bitch"  
_"She's a girl in love with someone who won't love her back because his ex won't allow him too."  
"You can't possibly think you're causing the problem in that relationship."  
"But I am."  
"Not directly. Logan can't love anyone but you. He isn't _meant _for anyone but you. Don't you get that?" Dick asked helplessly.  
Veronica looked completely defeated, a feat both incredible and concerning.  
"I want to be alone right now." She said.  
Dick shut his gaping mouth and left her apartment. Veronica needed more than only Dick could provide. She needed love and support from her other friends, people who had pushed her away and hurt her. People who were going to get a rude awakening, courtesy of Dick Casablancas.  
-

"Wallace, what are you doing here?" Mac asked seeing the boy stare at his phone then the table she was sitting at in a far corner of Java the Hut.  
"Veronica sent me a text to meet her here for some sort of emergency."  
"Yeah, me too. Do you know what's wrong?"  
"I don't know. She should have just gotten back from her trip with Logan and Dick."  
Mac scoffed.  
"Right, that totally inappropriate trip with the stupid, horny playboy and her ex, who is in a healthy relationship with a good person for once." She said.  
"Good person? Oh… you mean Parker? I was momentarily confused because Logan is currently in an agonizing prison sentence with a crazy hell bitch and that's the Parker I know." Dick popped up from behind a wall and sat next to Wallace at the table.  
"What is wrong with you? Get away from us." Mac snapped.  
"No can do. I'm here for an emergency meeting for Veronica."  
"She sends you to do her dirty work now? How convenient for her. She really does have a startling amount of rich guys at her beck and call."  
Wallace glared at Mac.  
"What's gotten into you? You've treated Veronica horribly and you're always so bitter these days."  
"I don't like the fact that my _friend _is acting like a homewrecker."  
"That's enough." Dick slammed a heavy hand on the table, attracting the attention of various customers. "You don't talk about Veronica that way. You know all that she'd been through and you know what Logan means to her. Logan and Veronica need each other because they love each other. They're miserable apart and I came here looking for Veronica's supposed oldest friends to help me make both of their lives better. I didn't expect a cold-hearted, backstabbing _friend _of hers to act so stupidly and viciously. You don't know the way Parker treats Logan and the way she truly is. Logan wanted a rest from her. He almost begged on his knees to go on our surfing trip."  
"Is that true?" Wallace cut in, interrupting the heated glare between Mac and Dick. "Parker treats him badly?"  
"Badly? He's her whipping boy, her dirty carpet. She yells and makes him feel worthless. Is that really what he wants? Or does he want to be with the person he's known for seven years and loved from almost three?"  
"How's Veronica?"  
"There's more I have to tell you, only if Mac quits acting like a class A bitch so similar to Madison Sinclair."  
"I'm nothing like _her_."  
"Could have fooled me." Dick gave her an intense glare that made her gulp.  
When did Dick become so serious and intimidating?  
"I-I'm sorry. Some things have been going on… I never meant to hurt Veronica. I want to apologize to her."  
"I'm still debating including you in the life of my best friend."  
"She was my best friend first."  
"And then you treated her like shit. Wallace ignored her and she was left alone. I'm thankful to have meet her for the person she truly is. There's no better friend than Veronica. Or have you forgotten all the times she's helped you two and so many other people? Veronica would sacrifice her reputation, her happiness and even her life for the people she loves. It's not fair for you to hurt her like you have recently. Especially over Parker. Trust me, she'd a hell bitch and she's poison. We need to flush her out of our systems."  
"Parker is my friend and roommate." Mac said, losing conviction.  
"Veronica is the girl who helped you heal after you found out who your parents really were and helped you survive the discovery of Cassidy's true nature." Dick gulped to swallow tears at the mention of his brother and the pain he'd caused another girl.  
"You're right. I'm sorry, Dick. For how I acted towards you when you were the only person interested in Veronica's well being. I need to apologize to her."  
"It'll be okay, Mac. We're going to be there for V. Like she's been there for us." Wallace touched her hand comfortingly.  
"Okay. Then I need to tell you both about what happened today."  
Dick began the tale Veronica had recounted. Now he had her other best friends ready for action. Veronica would feel the support of her friends and Dick would see her bright smile again. He could watch the defeated look leave her pale features. He could watch her embrace love again.  
-

Veronica lay on her bed, the stereo blasting Nazareth's Love Hurts on repeat. The go-to song of pain and destructive adjectives for love.  
_I did a horrible thing. And then I hurt Logan again. He isn't the unworthy one. __**I am.**__ I tell him I love him, sleep with him and run away. Maybe Parker treats him badly, but when she says she loves him she sticks around. She doesn't run away like a coward. The way I always seem to do. It'll only be two more weeks before the meeting with Northeastern. Then, I can request an immediate transfer. I can leave Neptune forever and let the people I hurt really move on. I'm sorry Logan.  
_"I love you so much, Logan." She sobbed into her pillow.  
"What about me?"  
Veronica gasped, seeing Dick appear in her room and behind him a smiling Wallace and uneasy Mac.  
"What are you doing here? How did you get in?"  
"Please, like I didn't figure out where you put the spare key forever ago" Dick rolled his eyes.  
"We're here to apologize, V. I've been wrapped in my life and I ignored my BFF. I'm sorry, Supafly." Wallace said.  
"I forgive you, Papa Bear." She whispered. "We've been through a lot. I don't want us to drift apart."  
"Never, V. I swear." Wallace hugged her and stepped aside so Mac could sit on the best in front of Veronica.  
"I know you hate me right now. I've treated you unfairly and unkindly. I've betrayed your trust and made you feel upset and alone. I'm so sorry." Mac began to cry and Veronica immediately reached forward to his the brunette.  
"What is it? Why were you acting so cold?"  
"My dad was diagnosed with terminal stomach cancer. He's dying, Veronica." She sobbed. "My mom's falling apart and Ryan is so confused. He looks at me as if he's pleading for an explanation or hope. And I can't give him anything! I just feel so useless and worthless and I see you, strong and fearless after all you've been through and I feel awed and resentful. Why am I so weak and you can stand tall after the horrors you've survived? I thought stealing some of your strength would make me feel better or help me cope. I was wrong and stupid. I pushed away a friend I loved. I knew you would be there for me if I needed you, giving me time and comfort but all I saw was my family crumbling to the ground. I can't handle what's happening to me, Veronica. But, it doesn't excuse how I treated you. Please forgive me." She broke into sobs, her voice breaking completely.  
"I do, Mac. I forgive you. Don't cry. We can get through this. You are not weak. You can do this. Your mom and Ryan need you. I need you. And you can do it all."  
Mac nodded, wiping her tears and hugging Veronica.  
"We can both do it. I will survive what's happening to my family and you, Veronica, will survive what's happening with Logan."  
"Logan? You-you know?" Veronica looked at Dick.  
"I couldn't help you alone, Ronnie. You needed Wallace and Mac too."  
"Thank you." She whispered, still holding Mac as Wallace joined the hug.  
"Anything for you, Ronnie. I think it's time for all of us to live again. The right way."


	6. Chapter 6

**Only one more chapter before this 7 parter ends. I feel a bit upset, but I know I have other projects I'm happy with. Also, a lot of mini flashbacks and memories mentioned in this one. I hope I made everything clear. I really loved this part when I wrote it!**

Part Six

Logan felt like going to bed, nursing a bottle of tequila, and passing out in his underwear but sadly, he had one thing to take care of. The loud, impatient knock on his door told him the person he'd been expecting had arrived. He pulled open the door and stared into Parker's angry face.  
"Took you long enough! It's been three hours and 37 minutes that you've been back in town, from the time you said you would arrive. You should have gone to my dorm as soon as you got in!" she brushed past him, and he sighed.  
_This will be unpleasant… and maybe I should have worn a protective cup. She might be crazy enough to aim a kick to my balls.  
_"Parker, we need to talk."  
"Yes, we do! I was nice enough to let you go on this trip with that idiot friend of yours, but enough is enough. Surfing is a waste of your time and any company with Dick and his new whore, Veronica, is bad for you. You should be focusing on the classes you're taking next semester since you're choosing to become a layer. Daddy said he can help find you a good firm with some of his contacts."  
"And this is why we need to have a talk." He took a deep breath. "You make me miserable."  
"Excuse me?" she gasped, looking affronted.  
"You criticize everything I do, you don't like my friends and you're always ordering me around. News flash, you're not my mother."  
"I'm glad I'm not or else I'd be lying somewhere in the sea. Jumping off a bridge is completely unoriginal, by the way."  
And that was the last straw for Logan. He'd wanted a civil end to their relationship but the blasé way Parker insulted his mother's memory and her death left him no choice.  
"I'm breaking up with you."  
"What?!" she shrieked.  
"Did I stutter?"  
"How dare you? I'm the best thing to ever happen to you!"  
A petite blonde danced through his memories and he remembered the main reason he couldn't be with Parker or any other woman.  
"No, you aren't. You may not be the worst thing, but you're certainly not the best. I can't be with someone who treats me so horribly just like I can't be with someone I don't truly love. I'm sorry I lied to you. I don't love you and I can't love you. We're going to go our separate ways now and I hope you understand that I don't want to see you again."  
"You're such a piece of shit, Logan Echolls! I was going to help you start a career and a better life!"  
"I don't want to be lawyer. Lawyers are lying sons of bitches, as proven by my deceased father's lawyer who bullshitted his way through a murder trial. As for a better life… not if you're part of it. Please leave, Parker."  
She gaped at him, anger in her eyes.  
"I'll find someone better than you. I don't need you!"  
"Then why are you still here?"  
Parker was about to launch another insult his way when he stepped closer.  
"This is for your benefit too. I can't be in a relationship where I don't have serious feelings for you. You deserve at least someone who will love you back. I'm sorry I'm not the one who can do that for you."  
Parker let tears fall from her eyes before storming out of the suite, without a second glance back.  
Logan stared at the slammed door and then at the floor of his expensive suite.  
_I'm surrounded by wealth and by fame and what does that do for me? It led my parents to their graves and persecutions. It added glamour to my horrible childhood and hid the truth of my abuse from the world. What else? It allowed me to meet people like Madison, who later screwed up my only semi-successful relationship.  
_Logan stared at the walls of the Neptune Grande with disgust. Veronica had once called him immature in a fight. She said he was a scared little boy hiding behind walls of ivory and gold. It had hurt because deep down he realized she was right. It was the way he'd been raised. He hid his emotions behind the money of his parents and as he grew up the walls became his own design. Of course, if his walls were ivory and gold Veronica's were heavy-duty metal with steel casings and adamantium padlocks every few inches.  
_She never let me in all the way. Veronica trusted me with sex and with her body, but she didn't trust me with her heart or with her life. She wouldn't include me in her cases, risking her life in dangerous situations without telling me where she was or when she'd be home. I tried to show her I was in it for the long run. I said I loved her first even though admitting the words was one of the hardest things I had to do. I saw in her face she wanted to say the words back, but her trust issue got in the way. Yesterday when we made love… she finally said it. My heart jumped into my throat and the whole time we were together I thought everything would be okay. I didn't think of Parker or of the outside world. It was just me and her, moving together, breathing together and loving together. Then, she gets out of bed like nothing happened and runs away. Technically, she walked steadily away but it was the same meaning. She wanted to forget it because she felt ashamed or regretful. Veronica felt ashamed to love me and after we slept together she wanted to make the memory go away. Is that how she feels about all the time we've spent together? About our first meeting? Our first kiss?  
_Logan felt a strong inclination to whip out a table full of liquors and spirits to get drunk enough to forget Veronica for at least a second. Yet, a voice inside him (probably a long overdue conscience) said drinking would get him into trouble.  
_It's also how my mom dealt with her problems. She would drink herself into oblivion and then pop a few pills to seal the deal. That way she could pretend my father wasn't whipping me with a studded belt in the other room. I may have loved my mother, but I can't be like her. I have to be better than both of my parents. It's time to be a mature adult.  
_He took another deep breath before packing another bag with some clothes, his swim trunks, wet suit and toiletries. What was the best way to deal with any issues? Surf. At the best beach in Southern California.  
-

Veronica wasn't sure what to do. It was Monday afternoon and she was doing a shift at the library while simultaneously calling Logan's cell phone, which of course always went to voicemail.  
"Still no answer?"  
She turned to see Dick leaning against the help desk.  
"None. Have you been to the suite?"  
"Yeah, but it was brief. His bedroom was closed and I didn't feel like invading his privacy just yet. Although, I didn't hear any sad eighties music playing so maybe he was passed out and hung-over."  
Veronica grimaced. Logan had turned to alcohol for some of his tougher moments. It was destructive behavior that she had tried to help him let go of. He'd made progress… until she broke up with him for sleeping with Madison. Dick had told her how he had sat on a couch for three days, staring into space in the same pants and shirt she'd left him in. He barely ate and he drank vodka like it was water. He didn't shower or sleep and the only thing that had snapped him out of his apocalyptic state was the little girl, Heather he'd had to babysit.  
_Children are innocent. And beautiful. When we were young we were the same. Dependant on out parents. Seeking guidance and affection and a meaning to life. We would play and laugh because life was supposed to be seraphic and pure that way… Until it wasn't anymore. My mother had an affair throughout her whole marriage with my father and she was an alcoholic. Dick's parents divorced and his father embezzled money to artificially inflate his company. Dick Sr. also treated his younger son like dirt and shaped him into the murderous monster he became. Mac's parents kept her whole life a secret. Wallace's mother left her father because he had drug problems and lied to Wallace for most of his life about the identity and the fact that the man was alive and trying to contact him. And Logan's parents… were the biggest mess of all. His father abused him and slept with girls his son's age while Lynn tried her hardest to remain oblivious by staying inebriated. Oh God, Logan. I need to see you, I need to apologize to you and tell you that  
_"You love him." Dick said and Veronica blinked in surprise.  
"Are you reading my thoughts?"  
He chuckled.  
"I don't have to read minds to know what you're thinking about. You have the Logan look on your face."  
"The Logan look?"  
"Yeah, it's this far-off, dreamy expression you get when you're contemplating your relationship or Logan himself."  
"Wow."  
"Yeah, you do it often so I figured it had to be that. Unless the _Encyclopedia Britannica_ makes you daydream."  
Veronica looked at the text in her hands. She was supposed to be sorting the encyclopedias to arrange them in a new area of the library, but she kept getting distracted.  
"I need to see him."  
"So let's go."  
"Your car?"  
"I think the time-out period is over."  
"Fine, just don't run over any elderly people."

"He isn't here." Veronica finally declared after brazenly opening his bedroom doors and searching his closet, bathroom and the balcony.  
"I saw his car in the parking lot when we got in."  
The Range Rover had in fact been there, yet Veronica was convinced he wasn't in the hotel.  
"He's gone somewhere."  
"I'm sure he'll be back. We've got Economics on Wednesday and the professor already watches us like hawks for being on time and being present. Logan's no idiot. He won't miss class."  
"That's two days away. I need to see him now. Make sure he's okay."  
"Call his cell again."  
She dialed and put the phone to her ear. Seconds later she heard his signature ringtone and discovered the phone pushed to the bottom of the left side of the couch.  
"I'm going to ask Tina if she's seen him."  
"The hot girl at the front desk? You two buddies?"  
"She and Logan are. When we were still together she gave me some information on a case, per Logan's insistence. She would have seen him leave through the lobby. I think her shift is from the morning to at least another hour.  
They went down to the front desk and Veronica was relieved the blonde was still there, wearing her usual cheerful smile.  
"Tina!"  
"Logan's ex-girlfriend!"  
"I need a favor. And I know I'm probably not your favorite person since I'm sure Logan's told you about the break-up… but this is important."  
"I'll help you, Veronica. Logan loved you and I kinda think he still does. I want him to be happy and that last girl he was with?" she shivered. "Scary."  
Dick laughed.  
"I call her Hell Bitch."  
"It's fitting." Tina nodded. "She stormed out of the elevator this morning, an hour into my shift. Logan wasn't with her and she's never left so angry so I'm assuming she's finally kicked to the curb."  
Veronica took in the information. Logan had broken up with Parker.  
_So why didn't he call me or look for me? There you go thinking the world revolves around you, Veronica. Logan always has to run after me, even if I'm the one who made the mistake.  
_"Tina, did you see Logan leave?"  
Tina hesitated. Her face showed she was reluctant to share any details. She still had an obligation to Logan.  
"Please, Tina… I love him. And I need him to know that. Before I lose him for good." Veronica said and Dick knew it was a big deal for Veronica to admit her feelings to someone that was almost a stranger to her.  
Veronica was a private person, whose feelings were for the most part classified. Tina must have known this too because her face softened and she nodded.  
"He didn't tell me where he was going, but he asked to take his car from the hotel's private storage lockers."  
"The hotel has storage lockers? For what?" Dick asked.  
"It can be anything our guests want. In this case, a car." Tina went on.  
"The X-terra." Veronica realized. "He left his other car here, but took the X-terra."  
"When I asked him if he was okay he didn't answer, just said he needed some time with waves and a safe haven. Does any of that help you?" Tina asked.  
Veronica examined the words.  
_Waves… He must be surfing. He would always use his X-terra for the surfing trips with the guys. But, what beach? It can't be one in Neptune. If he wanted to be alone he'd want to be far away.  
_"Wait a safe haven? Haven? That's what he said?"  
"Yes." Tina confirmed.  
"I know where he is."  
Veronica thanked Tina and pulled Dick to the elevator. They went back to the penthouse, where Veronica went straight for Dick's bedroom.  
"Um, tiny blonde one, what are you doing?"  
"Where's the tape?"  
"The mix tape?"  
"Yeah, I need it. Road trip music."  
"Road trip?"  
"To Trestles Beach."  
"That's a four hour drive! We just got back yesterday. Why are you going back?"  
"Because Logan's there. He wanted to surf and have time away from me and from Neptune. He told me he'd always wanted to go to Trestles and my trip was a perfect idea. And Tina said he mentioned a safe haven."  
"So?" Dick hadn't connected the pieces.  
"What was the name of the hotel we stayed at?"  
"Trestle Haven." His eyes widened. "Wait a minute, Logan said he wanted a safe haven." His face twisted as he came to a conclusion.  
"Get there faster!" Veronica urged.  
"He's going back to Trestles Beach and staying at the hotel, Trestle Haven!"  
"Yeah! I have to get going. My car won't make that journey in one piece…" she tilted her head up at him, pouting and making her best puppy dog eyes.  
"Oh, fuck. You want to take my car. On a four hour road trip. By yourself."  
Veronica gave a deeper pout and forced tears to come to her eyes.  
"Fuck! Fine, just stop that! You're making me want to bake cookies and braid your shiny hair while we cry together."  
"I'll keep that image in mind." She winked, back in business.  
-

"Don't scratch the paint. And- and don't run a red light!" Dick was going over his hour long list of taking care of his _Dickmobile _again and Veronica rolled her eyes.  
She was sitting at the driver's seat as Dick lectured from his place at the driver's window. She had the mix tape and some toiletries, like a toothbrush and hairbrush in her passenger seat. It was lucky that Dick had a spare toothbrush for wild parties where he'd be prepared for a hangover and a hairbrush because Dick was obsessive at hair styling.  
"Enough! I've got to get on the road before it gets too dark. Already, I'll get to the beach at 11 o clock, almost midnight."  
"Then, don't go! Ronnie, I don't want you to go alone. Your dad will kill me."  
"About that, you need to cover for me."  
"What? Me?"  
"Yeah, please. Get Wallace and Mac to help you. The three of you have helped me more than enough but I'm begging you for this last favor."  
"Ronnie-  
"I love him, Dick. I messed up this time. I have to go after him."  
"I-I understand. I'm just worrying."  
"And I love you for it, bestie. Thanks." She kissed him on the cheek and gave him a gentle smile. "I'll call you when things are sorted."  
"You better."  
And then she was off, in Dick's SUV, staring at the long road ahead of her.  
-

Veronica was two hours away from Trestles Beach and she was already feeling tired. She'd had five phone calls in the last hour. One from Mac asking about her journey. The second from Wallace wishing her good luck. The third had been from her dad. He had told her Dick was not a good liar and they'd be having a father/daughter talk when she came back. Strangely, he also added a good luck. The fourth call had been from a girl in her Criminology class who said class was canceled for the week because Dr. Landry was feeling sick and Tim was on some vacation. It was a sign of good luck for Veronica. She's been sporting a grand smile when she got the last call. It had been Parker. Apart from a few choice curses and insults she had cried and screamed that it was her fault Logan didn't love her. Veronica had stayed quiet and when Parker stopped screaming, she'd hung up never speaking a word.  
_I don't blame her for wanting to vent. I won't apologize for loving Logan or for knowing how he felt about me. That doesn't mean I don't feel a little bad. She was once sweet but she let her insecurities change and ruin her. I hope she goes back to being the good person she once was. She deserves a happy life with someone. Just like I deserve a happy life with Logan._  
Veronica took out the Nirvana CD from the player and glanced to the passenger seat where the mix tape, still with its Sharpie-labeled **Veronica Epic**. She hadn't had the guts to play it yet. The tape would bring back joyful memories of their relationship, but most likely it would add some sad memories. Logan had been right when he said each song represented something for both of them or reminded him of her.  
She slowly pushed the tape in and smiled at the song that preached her name. She skipped the first, second, and third tracks. She already knew they were _Veronica, Sway _and _I Hear the Bells_. The fourth track was The Police's _Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic_. Veronica had commented that she found the song cute when they watched The Wedding Singer.  
Logan said the song wasn't in it, but she'd taken the control from his hands and rewinded to the scene where the song plays an instrumental version in the background. She'd then stuck his tongue out at him and he'd rolled his eyes. Still, he'd added the song to the mix tape because he found her determination to prove the smallest thing right adorable.  
The fifth track was The Stereophonic's _Dakota. _When Logan first played the song for her she'd furrowed her brow in confusion as she tried to place where she heard it before. Logan told her it was playing the day Liam Fitzpatrick almost choked her to death in his Irish bar and he saved her. She'd given a dry remark on his memory being like an elephant's but she'd stayed quiet after that, avoiding eye contact. When he'd grabbed her chin to look into her eyes with his inquisitive hazel orbs she'd sighed and told him what was on her mind.  
"That day you saved my life and I didn't even thank you. I screamed at you and bitched about you owning a gun, and then I leave your car to go back to my life. You were still in trouble and having your own problems, but I had to be mean. Not to mention, I still ran into Duncan's arms and his bed…"  
Logan had been quiet for a few seconds before taking her lips into a deep kiss.  
"I knew you were thankful. When you were screaming at me and 'bitching' I knew you had been more worried about my life than yours. You were always protecting me the way I wanted to protect you. As for going back to Duncan, I understood why. When he dumped you without any explanation or word you were left wondering and wishing for truth or closure. I think you needed a real end to the relationship you had with him. He was your first love and you had to be sure he wasn't the one. Because he wasn't…We're both stubborn and stupid, Veronica. That's how we handle our issues."  
Veronica had laughed and proceeded to rip off his clothes because sweet and contemplative Logan was oh-so-sexy.

Tracks 6-10 were random songs either of the two liked. Logan was a Green Day fan and Veronica loved Coldplay so Logan had put some of the bands' best songs. Track 11 had made Veronica laugh when she heard it. The Beach Boys' _Fun Fun Fun_. Veronica remembered Logan's taunts as he bashed her headlights in, referencing the Beach Boys and the summer hit about the girl who gets her T-bird taken away for having too much fun.  
"This isn't so romantic, Logan. You vandalized my car." She had said.  
"Foreplay." He grinned.  
"I see. Your idea of foreplay was vandalizing my car and my idea of foreplay was planting a bong in your locker."  
"A confession! I knew it was you."  
"Duh" she gave him his signature smirk.  
"We make an odd couple."  
"Yeah, a headlight bashing, bong-planting couple who reference Beach Boy songs in our witty foreplay."

The final track made Veronica hold her breath with the first notes.  
"_See the stones set in your eyes  
see the thorn twist in your side  
I wait… for you"  
_U2 was a band both Veronica and Logan admired. But, _With or Without You_ hadn't always been so beautiful to Veronica. It had been the song her father dedicated to his mother when they were in the early years of their marriage. Every time the song played Veronica would think of her naïve father, planning a life and marriage with a woman who would wait for him to go to work so she could slink to a seedy motel and carry on her affair. Veronica remembered the night Logan was driving her home after a movie/dinner date.

"_The movie wasn't so bad for a chick flick."  
"You know you loved it, Logan. You cried when the guy died in the motorcycle accident."  
"I did not! There was dust in my eye. Men don't cry."  
"Whatever. You'd think I'd be full from all that pasta, but I'm still in the mood for ice cream."  
"I never think you're full, Veronica. You have no void."  
She glared and he laughed.  
"I don't know where all that food goes or how you stay so tiny."  
He turned on the radio and With or Without You came on.  
"I swear, you put grown men to shame with your metabolism and eating habits. Veronica? Veronica?" he noticed she was staring at the radio with a strange expression on her face.  
There was vivid sadness and pain as well as anger.  
"Veronica? What's wrong?"  
"I hate this song."  
"What? It's U2. I thought you liked them."  
"Well, not this song."  
"Why?"  
"It doesn't matter." She turned to the window, biting her lip as the song's chorus blasted through the car.  
"It matters to me because it bothers you. Please tell me what's wrong." He pressed in his velvety voice.  
She let his voice touch her and sighed.  
"My dad dedicated it to my mom when they first got married. He would play it when I was growing up and just randomly spin my mom around and tell her he loved her. And she would say it back… She was a good liar. Fooled a private detective and a junior PI." She said bitterly.  
"Veronica, your mom loved your dad and she loved you. She just couldn't control her inner demons. They took control of her and she was too weak to fight it. Your mom had to run from her problems and succumb to alcohol like my mom had to run from her life and succumb to death."  
"I'm sorry, Logan. I know it's a sore topic for you too. Mothers haven't been kind to us."  
"No, they haven't. And I get that sometimes you feel angry and upset with your mom but some memories can remain happy. I'm sure your dad looks back on when he first met your mom and he knows he loved her then. He loved her when he dedicated that song to her and he loved her while they raised you. Things can fall apart sometimes, but our memories are all we have after the fall. We need to hold onto them."  
"I know that you're right, but I can't shake this from me. I feel like my mother tainted a beautiful song for me and it makes me angry." She felt tears sting her eyes and then Logan's warm hand grabbed both of hers.  
"How about we make a new memory then? If you had just heard this song and the lyrics what would you think of it?"  
"It's a beautiful song about loving another person so much and the pain you feel when things don't work out or they're far away. I don't know I guess I would like it if I didn't think about my parents."  
"So what if I dedicate it to you? And when you think about it you can think of us?" he stopped the car on a deserted street and took her face in his hands.  
"I don't know if I can…" she breathed and Logan gave her a small smile, kissing her lips then pulling back so they're still sharing oxygen but he has space to recite the lyrics to her.  
"Through the storm we reach the shore  
You give it all but I want more  
And I'm waiting for you.  
With or without you.  
With or without you.  
I can't live  
With or without you." He sang in a low voice that was meant to wash over Veronica.  
She closed her eyes and listened to him finish the song, stroking her hair or touching her cheek every other line.  
When the song finished, he turned off the radio and pulled her into his lap over the center console.  
"I know that won't fix the past and how you feel about your mother, but I hope you know how much I care about you and that I'll always be here for you. After all I can't live with or without you." He grinned and Veronica pressed her lips to his again.  
"Thank you, Logan. It's better now. I can think of you when I hear the song. Of us."_

Tears came to Veronica's eyes as the tape stopped and she took it out before it played from the beginning again. She didn't want to blur her vision with too many tears and going down Logan Veronica Memory Lane once was enough. She let the radio ease the atmosphere of the car and she was beyond thankful when she saw the sign for the Trestle Beach exit. Five minutes later she was turning down the street where the Trestle Haven was located. It was late, 11:30 from her cell phone's clock. She parked in the hotel's parking area and gave a quick glance for the bright X-terra. Even at night it should be visible. This seemed to be the one occasion the car's "jackass yellow" paint job was useful.  
But, the car wasn't there. She searched the whole area and came out fruitless. She considered going to the front desk of the hotel to ask for Logan, but no one there knew her well enough to do her any favors. The other approach, hostility and some form of blackmail, would not gain her any points in the future.  
_Besides, Logan came here to get away from Neptune and to surf. If he isn't at the hotel he has to be at the beach.  
_Veronica ignored the nagging doubts at the back of her mind that whispered that she had been wrong and maybe Logan had gone to some other state or city completely.  
_Shut it, brain! He's here. I know he is. I know Logan._

She left her car in the hotel parking lot and walked the few blocks to Trestle Beach. There was a slight breeze that ruffled her loose waves with the movement of the wind. She wasn't cold because while she wore a tank top and flip flops, her jeans were snug enough. She saw the crashing waves of the beach and immediately walked towards them. They were drawing her in, a sort of magnetism that called her closer. She walked to the left a little and then resumed walked straight. She knew the beach was miles long and Logan could be anywhere on the expansive beach, but for some reason her feet were walking to this specific spot.  
She was about to turn back when she got close enough to see a figure sitting with his knees to his chest, close enough to feel a splash of the tide but not close enough to get wet.  
"Logan." She whispered quietly, but the breeze seemed to take her words and move them towards the sea, towards Logan.  
The boy turned and saw Veronica standing there, hair mussed from the wind and blue eyes trained on him.  
"You came?" it was a question.  
"I had to follow you. It was my turn."  
"Your turn to what? Hurt me? Is this a war, Veronica? I hurt you then you hurt me by throwing a nuclear bomb? I think I've had enough of that. I'm sorry you came all this way." He turned back to the ocean and Veronica stepped closer so she could kneel next to him.  
"It's my turn to be brave…I love you and I can't imagine being apart from you any longer, let alone losing you from my life. There is no one on this planet I love more than you and I want to be with you forever. I want to marry you, Logan Echolls and do anything that follows after that."  
She held her breath as he turned to face her…


	7. Chapter 7

**This is it, folks. The last chapter. After this I will try and update Of Murders and School Dances. I loved writing this story and I hope you guys loved reading it.**

Part Seven

There were several moments where silence spoke volumes. People could be read without the use of words or phrases. When Dick got unusually silent Veronica knew he was thinking of Cassidy. They were his memorials to his younger brother. Dick didn't attend the public funeral for Cassidy. Neither had Veronica. Mac said she forced herself to go. She had been in denial for some time about what Cassidy had done. It hit her that he was gone when she saw his coffin lowered into the ground. Mac showed up at Veronica's doorstep in hysterical sobs that night. Like Dick, Mac's silences were for Cassidy. Dick had lost his brother and Mac had lost something else. Cassidy was deep inside a human being with feelings and purity. It was just so deep inside him you couldn't find it anymore. He'd grown up alone, feeling overshadowed by a popular more accepted brother, then he was molested by Woody Goodman and forced to keep the trauma quiet. He was given a nickname that was demeaning and marked him for teasing and bullying. Yet, Veronica could never empathize or sympathize with Cassidy. It wasn't even because he tried to kill her father or her or the bus crash he planned. It was what he did to Mac.  
She was better now, but the summer before college he'd never seen someone look more broken… except for Dick. Wallace's silences were only when he was deep in thought over less serious matters like a test the next day of his basketball statistics.  
_And when Logan's silent he's beyond angry.  
_Veronica sat there, feeling awkward and pained at the boy's silence. He was angry that she had walked out on him after they slept together, but she was laying all her cards out, declaring love and a promise for the future. Why wasn't he reacting? After her confession he'd turned to stare at her, face carefully blank and then turned back to the ocean. And that was what he had done for the past ten minutes, leaving Veronica desperate for a word or a sign or a hand gesture that showed her what he was feeling.  
"Logan. Please say something." She begged, after five more minutes passed.  
"Is this a dream?" he finally said and she gaped.  
"_What?_"  
"Did I pass out on the beach from exhaustion? I didn't sleep last night and it was a long day, dealing with Parker and making this drive… so I must be knocked out on the beach. It's the only way you could be here."  
Veronica debated smacking him and telling him he was crazy.  
_It must be surreal for him to hear all that. Not only did I admit I was wrong, but I said I loved him __**and**__ to finish up the triple-threat news I said I wanted to marry him and whatever came after that.  
_"This isn't a dream, Logan. I'm here and I love you. Frankly, I'm worried you don't feel the same anymore."  
"Why now?"  
"I should have told you how I really felt a long time ago. I've loved you for as long as I can remember, Logan. When we were younger I had a crush on you and I considered telling you, but then Duncan asked me out and you were paired off with Lilly… I thought I'd missed my chance. Then, Lilly died and everything went to tell. I felt defeated. Imagine my surprise when we become uneasy friends again then you save me from that crazy ATF agent and I kiss you. A secret relationship and a senior year full of snark and innuendos… A failed relationship in college. We break up twice before freshman year at Hearst ends and now here we are."  
"I don't think we get any more chances, Veronica. I don't think we're meant to be together." He kept his hazel eyes on the movement of the ocean, missing the tears appearing in the little blonde's blue ones.  
"No! You can't do this, Logan! You're not the one who gives up in this relationship. You're the one who always believes in us. In me. There's no one who put so much trust and love in me than you. I love you, Logan. Can't you see it?"  
"I've waited so long to hear you say those words. How do I know you won't run again? I'm tired of chasing, Veronica. I thought we were sharing our love yesterday and then you're leaving me again? I can't handle another person I love leaving. Not another one."  
"I'm sorry. I run when I feel overwhelmed. And you always overwhelm me. You're so much to take in, Logan. Apart from how amazing you look, physically, you have this personality that draws everyone in. You have this charm and easy manner. When you speak people have to listen. And you have this ability to love that still surprises me. You don't let anyone go and you love openly and beautifully. Even when I haven't deserved your love, you've given it to me. A part of you still loves your parents even after all they put you through. Not everyone can say the same. I have to accept that I'm not always right and when it comes to you I'm wrong 50% of the time. I like having a sense of control. After Shelly's party and being outcast from my friends I changed who I was and made sure I had the reigns. People couldn't affect me or hurt me anymore because I controlled my emotions and reactions. Then you come in and whether we were arguing or later making out I was never in control. And that scared me. So I would constantly run from you. It was because you made me feel too much too fast. Why do you think I didn't tell you I loved you a long time ago? The first time you told me I literally bit my tongue to stop myself from saying it back. Everyone I've said those words too left me and I was left alone with my stupid emotions, feeling that same helplessness of junior year. After I discovered Meg was pregnant and Duncan was obviously still in love with her and alternately messing around with Kendall, I swore I wouldn't say the words again. Sure, I helped Duncan escape with his daughter but inside I knew he'd left me long before that day. Lilly was dead. My mother was gone. Wallace hadn't hesitated to move to Chicago without a single phone call. My dad was all I had. That night when I thought he'd died I almost fell apart. What did I have without him? I knew the answer when you held me in your arms and let me cry myself to sleep. Who was the one person who never left me? You. After Lilly's death you treated me cruelly and yet there was never a moment that you weren't watching me or making sure I was still around. Unlike Duncan who ignored my existence completely and preferred to think I had moved or died along with his sister. You're always there for me, Logan and I always took you for granted. I will be here for you now. I promise to never leave you again. I love you, Logan. Do you love me?"  
She shut her eyes waiting for the answer that she knew would make or break her. Without Logan there was no happiness or future for her. A gentle hand ran over the contours of her face.  
"I always have." He breathed and pressed his lips to hers.  
She sighed into his mouth and wrapped her arms around him.  
-

"I wonder what Logan and Veronica are doing right now." Mac said.  
"I'll give you a clue. It involves bed springs and nudity."  
She wrinkled her nose in displeasure.  
"Thanks for that."  
"My pleasure… How's your dad?"  
The two sat in the Hearst cafeteria having a civil dinner. Wallace had to study for some test the next day so he'd made a peace sign and run off an hour before. Dick figured spending time with Veronica's only female friend would be helpful. This way Veronica would feel that all her friends got along and no uncomfortable scenarios would occur.  
"He looks worn away" she whispered, moving her salad with her fork.  
"Do you know how long he has?"  
"The doctor said three months could be a stretch." Her voice cracked.  
"I'm sorry you're suffering, Mac. It must suck to lose parents you actually care about. I want to tell you things will get better, but I don't know enough about families and parents to say that."  
"That's okay. I wouldn't want to hear lies anyway." She said and Dick gave her a small smile.  
"Is there anything I can do to make you feel better? At least to take your mind off the bad stuff?"  
She thought the question over.  
"I've always wanted to-uh never mind." She stabbed a cherry tomato and popped it into her mouth.  
"Tell me. We can do whatever you want, Mac."  
"No, it's-it's kinda expensive." She looked down.  
"I'm bleeding money, in case you didn't know." He grinned.  
"I wouldn't feel right asking you. We aren't close friends and I wouldn't want you to waste money on me."  
"I've wasted money on worse things. For you it'd be worthwhile spending."  
"Well…There's this art museum I want to see…"  
"Where is it?"  
"Paris."  
"I'll have a flight for tomorrow morning. Does that give you enough time to pack and give your parents an explanation?"  
Her eyes widened.  
"I was joking.""  
"I wasn't" he said matter-of-factly.  
"Dick, we can't just _go_ to France."  
"Why not? We have money, company and a purpose. I don't need to ask any permission but you do. I suggest you get one it while I call my buddy at Air France."  
"Dick-  
"We'll be back on Saturday. 5 days won't hurt anyone, will they? You're going through a rough time and I'm giving you a chance to chillax. Trust me, I'm a stress reliever. Veronica surfs with me about seven times a week just cause I'm that awesome to be with."  
She gave a small smile.  
"My dad…"  
"If you want to spend all the remaining time with him I won't blame you."  
"No, I mean. Oh God, I can't believe I'm going to ask you this. It's so selfish of me!"  
"Mac, tell me." His blue eyes were unusually serious and she had to gulp at their soulful intensity.  
"My dad and I always wanted to visit the Louvre. My mother hates art and Ryan doesn't like anything but video games, but my dad is a closet art lover. He never had a chance to visit Europe. He never got farther than Washington." Her eyes involuntarily teared at the mention of all her father would miss out on.  
"Three tickets for tomorrow morning. Would your mother and Ryan like to come to Paris too? That would be 5 in total. I hope you don't mind that I'm coming along. I love France, Paris especially but if you want it to be just you and your family I'll understand. I'll only buy 4 tickets then."  
Mac felt her jaw hit the floor as she stared at this enigma named Dick Casablancas.  
-

The next morning Veronica woke, stretching her sore limbs and smiling when a small groan sounded from behind her.  
"Keep still, some of us are still trying to sleep." Logan mumbled, eyes still closed.  
Veronica turned in her position, wrapped in Logan's arms, and gave a silent giggle at the boyish expression on his face. When Logan was asleep his features were completely at rest and his vivid eyes were hidden from view. He always looked peaceful and content. When he was awake Logan was the overconfident, egotistical god of sex, as he had proven various times that night. Yet asleep there was even more beauty in him. Veronica might have been the only one allowed to see it.  
"Stop staring."  
"I'm not staring." She lied.  
He opened his eyes and glared.  
"I can't sleep when I know you're watching me."  
"So don't sleep." She grinned, pushing out of his arms and jumping on top of him, her legs on either side of his waist.  
"We did five rounds last night, bobcat."  
"Are you saying I've finally worn you out? The great Logan Echolls is too tired for wake-up sex? I guess you're going to have to change your codename from Endurance to Weakness or Flaccid."  
Logan sat up and wrapped her legs around his waist, grinding his lower half against her.  
"Flaccid? Does that feel flaccid to you, Veronica?"  
She moaned and shook her head. Logan spent a good hour proving he was still the king and his codename was definitely Endurance.

"I'm going to call Dick." Veronica said after they'd had breakfast in Logan's hotel suite at Trestles Haven.  
"I thought we were going surfing. I still haven't seen you surfing up close and personal. Although, the idea is turning me on already."  
Veronica laughed. They'd been back together for less than 12 hours but Logan was showing all his prowess in areas intellectual, athletic and sexual.  
"I just need to tell him we worked things out. You know, you should thank him for this." She gestured to the two of them.  
"I never thought I'd see the day where Dick was so useful. I never thought I'd see you two as best buddies, but that already happened so what's next?"  
"I know. I would have never in a million years thought my best friend would be Dick Casablancas. I never thought my boyfriend would be Logan Echolls, either, but what can ya do?" she winked and turned to her cell phone.  
"Hello?"  
"Dick! Good morning. How's your day going?"  
"By the perkiness in your tone I'm guessing you and Logan had a _really _nice night."  
"Really nice and really long."  
"Aw yeah! You got yours, Ronnie!"  
"I certainly did! Long distance high five!"  
"Up top!" he shouted and she laughed.  
"I miss you, bestie."  
"I do too. And I'm going to miss you even more from Europe."  
"Excuse me? Europe?"  
Dick explained the gift he was giving Mac and her family, particularly her father.  
"Wow, that's amazing, Dick. I can't believe you'd do something so nice for Mac."  
"I'm a changed guy, Ronnie. I have to thank you for that."  
"You changed me too. For the better of course. I want to thank you for all you've done for me. And for my relationship with Logan."  
"No problem, Ronnie. I'll call you when we get to Paris."  
"Alright. Bye, Dick."  
"Bye Ronnie."  
"Dick's going to Europe?"  
"With Mac and her family."  
Veronica told Logan about Mac's father being diagnosed with terminal cancer.  
"Dick is not Dick anymore."  
"I know what you mean, but calling him Richard wouldn't feel the same. I'd think of his father and that is something I would never want to do." Her face grew angry at the mention of Richard Sr.  
"I think the only parent we should ever discuss is yours. All the rest are better left unnamed."  
"Logan, you can still think of your mother. I know you loved her and I hope you know that she loved you. Things happen for a reason and she's better off in heaven, but I know she's watching over you."  
Logan gave a crooked smile at her and kissed her deeply, causing her to lose balance and hold onto his biceps to steady herself.  
"What was that for?"  
"For being you. You're the only who one understands every part of me, from the past to my deepest, darkest secrets."  
He thought of the conversation with Parker the day before where she insulted the memory of his mother and proved she wasn't a person he wanted to be with or even befriend.  
"So do you. I know I have some serious faults and broken pieces, but you never make me feel broken."  
"Because I'm broken too. There are some wounds that will never fully close, but they don't hurt anymore."  
"Mine don't either." She smiled.  
"Want to go for that surf, sugarpuss?"  
"I didn't bring my board or my wet suit… or my bathing suit. I didn't think the trip through. I talked to Tina, grabbed Dick's car and sped over. Apart from a toothbrush and hairbrush I only have the clothes currently strewn through the bedroom." She was currently in Logan's oversized T-shirt.  
"Then I'll buy you new ones."  
"New what?""  
"New everything. A board, bathing suit, wet suit and some clothes."  
"I don't want you to spend so much money."  
"Don't worry about that. How many outfits do you need."  
"Just one for later. We have to drive home tonight so you don't miss Economics tomorrow. Dick said the teacher is strict with you."  
"Yeah, he's a restricting old geezer."  
She laughed.  
"After we surf, we'll get lunch and get back on the road."  
"Back to Neptune?"  
"Where else?"  
"I don't know. I always thought about leaving Neptune. Maybe even California and starting a life away from my childhood. There are just some memories I'd rather leave behind."  
Veronica nodded.  
"After college we can leave."  
"Really?"  
"Yeah, I was going to do it anyway."  
"Northeastern is on the other side of the country."  
Veronica blinked at him in confusion.  
"Dick told me."  
"Oh, did he also tell you about the meeting I had in two weeks to get an immediate transfer?"  
"Immediate? You were planning on leaving for good in two weeks? Were you going to say goodbye?"  
"No. I thought I'd hurt you enough, Logan. I thought leaving would let you move on and have a better life."  
"Without you?"  
"Yes."  
"Do you not remember our song? The song I dedicated to you and has lyrics that go with our situation? I can't live without you, Veronica."  
"You can't live with me, either."  
"I disagree. If you had gone to Northeastern I would have followed you. Maybe not the next day or the next week, but I would have found a way to track you down. There's no one I want more than you. I thought you felt the same. Didn't you mention marrying me?"  
Veronica blushed and looked down.  
"Thought you forgot about that."  
"All the sex in the world would cause me to forget that."  
"Yeah, right. One round with me and you'd be thinking of other things."  
"Don't try to distract me. I still want an answer to my question."  
She groaned.  
"Yes, I mentioned marriage. I thought you would want proof that I really cared about you and what was more proof than offering to get married. You know how against it I am, but for you… I'd make the exception."  
"I love you, Veronica. And I will ask you to marry me… someday. We aren't ready yet."  
She breathed a sigh of relief.  
"Thank God, I thought that would come back and bite me in the ass."  
He chuckled and kissed her forehead.  
"Can you imagine spending your life with me?"  
"Yeah, I can." She whispered against his chest.  
"Good. I'm definitely sticking around."  
-

**One year later**

It was the summer after their sophomore year of college. Five teens on Trestles Beach drinking soda and eating hamburgers straight off the grill. During this time of year the beach was packed with locals and surfers from all around California spending summer break there.  
"When are you due back at Quantico?" Wallace asked Veronica.  
"Not until the second week of July. We have two weeks to spend here doing whatever we please."  
"I want to do whatever I please right now." Logan pulled her into his lap and began a heated make-out.  
"Dude, no groping in front of me!" Dick threw his soda can at Logan's head.  
"Shit! That hurt!" Logan rubbed his neck and Veronica giggled.  
"Want me to kiss it better, honey?" she gave a sly grin and kissed around his neck and back to his lips.  
"Stop that immediately or I will pick you up and throw you into the water." Dick threatened.  
Veronica pouted and gave him the finger, before moving back to a spot close enough to Logan to touch him, but keep her body off his lap.  
"Let the lovebirds be, Dick. That way they can't complain when we engage in PDA." Mac grinned, kissing her boyfriend.  
"Okay, time out! I am the fifth wheel here and I am firmly stating how uncomfortable I am. Why did I even agree to this? I don't surf and I have no girlfriend. I should be back home playing video games and prowling the streets for ladies." Wallace said.  
"Prowling? Please God never prowl for anything." Veronica wrinkled her nose.  
"Wallace, old buddy old pal. You agreed to this because we need some time to hang out as a group before we go our separate ways this summer."  
"Don't be so melodramatic, Logan, we're going to see each other at Hearst when school starts again. And we're all living in the dorms next year." Mac pointed out.  
Parker had decided to go back to wherever she was from and leave Mac without a roommate. Veronica had told her father she wanted to be closer to her classes and friends so she was moving in with Mac. Piz and Wallace still shared a room because Piz was a nice guy and he spent most of his time at his radio show and with his girlfriend, Allie. Logan and Dick had moved on campus, bribing the Admissions office with two single rooms and not sharing just one. Logan got to move his king sized bed into his dorm, which was great news for Veronica.  
"Yeah, but we'll be apart for two months. That's sucky." Dick frowned. "Ronnie here just had to go all the way to stupid Virginia."  
"Virginia is not stupid. It's FBI headquarters and the intern program is more extensive the second time around. I'm actually getting a badge this time and I get to participate in one case. Dr. Landry has some great connections over there."  
"I still say Virginia is stupid!" Dick said childishly.  
"You're going to visit me at the end of July. We already planned the trips to Bush Gardens, Sea World and Colonial Williamsburg."  
"Oh yeah." He smiled. "We did… Virginia's not so bad."  
"When is my visit, sugarpuss?" Logan kissed her temple.  
"Hopefully every weekend."  
"Do you think my summer will be spent pining away for you?" he joked.  
"Won't it?"  
"Yeah." He kissed her again.  
"I'm going to Africa for the volunteer group, but I'll be back first. It's only for a month." Wallace said.  
"The Technological Convention and Seminar in New York is only for two weeks. Then, Dick and I are driving to Vegas."  
The other three whistled and hooted.  
"Getting hitched already?" Veronica winked.  
"No way they're beating us to the altar." Logan added.  
Mac flushed.  
"We aren't getting married, we're playing the casinos. Your fake ID is so perfect we'll have no trouble getting in. I need some cash and I figured hacking into some of the slot machines would be easy dough." Mac shrugged and everyone gaped.  
"Just kidding." She smiled.  
"I'm good at Blackjack." Dick said proudly.  
"You're decent." Veronica corrected.  
"Watch it, Blondie. I wouldn't want to challenge you to a card game."  
"Oh bring it on. I haven't met anyone better at poker than me yet."  
"Sadly, that's true. I haven't found a way to beat her yet." Logan said.  
"And you won't sweetie, don't feel bad." She patted his head.  
"Guys, look! Fireworks." Wallace pointed.  
It was indeed fireworks coming from a distance down the beach. Someone had set them off, creating a luminous display of colorful stars, shapes and figures in the late afternoon sky. A large heart flashed in the sky and Logan bent to whisper into Veronica's ear.  
"I love you."  
"I love you too" she said and he smiled, no longer surprised at her words.  
They weren't the volatile, on and off couple they'd entered college as. They talked their problems out (or yelled and screamed them) and did their best to refrain from jumping to conclusions. When Veronica felt overwhelmed she'd lock herself in a room and Logan would lean against the closed door, waiting for her to feel ready to talk to him. When Logan felt angry he wouldn't run to alcoholic beverages he'd run to Veronica.  
Mac had lost her father months before but with her friends' support she carried her family through, making sure her mother was healthy and never alone. She spent countless hours with Ryan just playing with his toys or telling him life would move on. They would all live on. Dick became a daily guest at the Mackenzie household after the trip he granted Mac and her family. Before Mr. Mackenzie died he told Dick to take care of his daughter and treat her the right way. It was the blessing he wouldn't be able to give when his little girl went off to marry someone and start a life with a man. That man would be Dick.  
Wallace had some relationships that weren't so meaningful but he never lost hope. He saw the two couples of his closest friends and he knew true love was out there for him. It would reach him when the time came. People have to be ready for what they're given. Logan and Veronica were prime examples of waiting for things to come to fruition.

As Veronica lay back in Logan's arms and Dick stroked Mac's hair from where she leaned on his shoulder the two best friends shared a look. It had been a long journey to this spot. Veronica owed Dick many things and Dick felt Veronica released the real person inside him. The Dick with feelings and regrets and not the vapid playboy who followed in his father's footsteps.  
"Thank you." Veronica mouthed to the other blonde and he gave her a large grin.  
"This is quite a beautiful friendship, Ronnie." He mouthed back.  
"One for the movies" she finished and smiled a secret smile.

**THE END**


End file.
